Luka Doncic thread

[frosgrim]

Thought I'd start a Luka thread with highlight vids and other stuff. 

This is from EuroBasket 2017.  I hope/assume this shows the best parts of his game (as an 18 year old). 

 

 

[frosgrim]

in my watching of the EuroBasket 2017 highlights here is what I see as a casual fan

- not much speed

- good but not great handles

- has a nice step-back 3- I can see that working in the NBA, but only if he's willing to drive on guys

- can dunk, but doesn't appear to look to do it much

- really good court vision (though we don't see his bad passes, where I think you'd learn more about his vision)

- Kid looks big and will likely get much stronger as he gets older. I wonder if he's more of a 3 than a 2? 

- He'll need an athletic slasher playing with him to keep defenses on their toes (maybe this is Dennis)

- Pairing him with Collins would be amazing. the pick/roll/pop would be very hard to stop, esp if/when Collins gets more confident in his mid-range jumper. 

 

Overall, I liked Donic, but i'm not wowed by him. I didn't see much that would indicate he has the physical tools to completely take over a game. However, that may develop as he grows and matures. As I watched, I kept thinking Klay Thompson - but not LBJ, MJ, Magic, etc. 

 

 

 

[bleachkit]

One thing I like about him. He's very competitive and plays hard. That cant be underestimated. They have to want it.

[frosgrim]

3 minutes ago, bleachkit said:

One thing I like about him. He's very competitive and plays hard. That cant be underestimated. They have to want it.

Excellent point. He does seem to be driven- and that is a HUGE attribute. 

[NBASupes]

He looks far more impressive offensively out of Europe than Klay out of WSU. But defensively, Thompson was superior in college compared to Doncic and will be in the NBA forever. 

[hawkman]

He looks really slow. To be fair, Paul Pierce looked slow but was effective on both sides of the ball. What I'm really worried about is the fact that his defenders look as slow as him. I'd like to see how he fares against better/more athletic defenders. There's no way he blows by an NBA level defender with that first step. The Hawks have to hit this pick out of the park and I'm not sure Doncic is a can't miss prospect yet. I remember the Rubio hype and this seems eerily similar.

[Jody23]

4 minutes ago, hawkman said:

He looks really slow. To be fair, Paul Pierce looked slow but was effective on both sides of the ball. What I'm really worried about is the fact that his defenders look as slow as him. I'd like to see how he fares against better/more athletic defenders. There's no way he blows by an NBA level defender with that first step. The Hawks have to hit this pick out of the park and I'm not sure Doncic is a can't miss prospect yet. I remember the Rubio hype and this seems eerily similar.

The more I watch, the more I see Hedo Turkoglu who was a player I liked.  I think he'll be a good player, but I don't see a star player in the NBA.

[hawkman]

27 minutes ago, Jody23 said:

The more I watch, the more I see Hedo Turkoglu who was a player I liked.  I think he'll be a good player, but I don't see a star player in the NBA.

Great comparison! Hedo at #1 or #2 doesn't work for me when you have guys like Ayton and Bagley available.

[AHF]

I see some skills that overlap with Hedo but don't see the comparison.  Doncic is waaaaayyyyyyy more productive than Hedo was in Europe at the same age.  In fact, Doncic is the most productive 18 year old in European history.

If you want to see him against NBA talent, go look at his Eurobasket play.  He had 11, 12 and 8 against Marc Gasol and Pau Gasol, Willy Hernangomez and Juancho Hernangomez, Ricky Rubio and Alex Abrines when they played Spain and had 27 and 9 against Porzingas.

I think comparing him to Turkoglu is selling him short.

[marco102]

2 hours ago, hawkman said:

He looks really slow. To be fair, Paul Pierce looked slow but was effective on both sides of the ball. What I'm really worried about is the fact that his defenders look as slow as him. I'd like to see how he fares against better/more athletic defenders. There's no way he blows by an NBA level defender with that first step. The Hawks have to hit this pick out of the park and I'm not sure Doncic is a can't miss prospect yet. I remember the Rubio hype and this seems eerily similar.

Here you go.   Although it's exhibition, you see him against NBA players.

 

[DBac]

Next James Harden

[hawkman]

1 hour ago, marco102 said:

Here you go.   Although it's exhibition, you see him against NBA players.

 

Right now I have to throw him on the pile with Oscar Schmidt and Shane Heal until I see him against serious(not exhibition) competition. He's really skilled for his age but he needs more athleticism to pull some of this stuff off when he is THE focus of the defense. I respect everyone else's opinion of him and I see some things I like but we're looking to get the franchise cornerstone here.

[Guard]

Doncic's ability to cause separation will determine how high his ceiling will be as a player. 

[KB21]

 

[KB21]

 

[AHF]

1 hour ago, hawkman said:

Right now I have to throw him on the pile with Oscar Schmidt and Shane Heal until I see him against serious(not exhibition) competition. He's really skilled for his age but he needs more athleticism to pull some of this stuff off when he is THE focus of the defense. I respect everyone else's opinion of him and I see some things I like but we're looking to get the franchise cornerstone here.

Shane Heal?  What?  Is this how you evaluate all prospects?  Seems strange to ask to see footage of an 18 year old against NBA players.  There is more video of Doncic on the floor with NBA players than anyone in the draft.  (Like the game versus Spain where he faced 6 guys with NBA experience).  

[DBac]

A good, albeit outdated, read

https://www.canishoopus.com/2014/2/26/5435374/potential-nba-draft-prospects

 

Quote

Potential as an underlying cognitive trait:

Players who fill up box-scores and show a high level of skill across a variety of traits are often denied access to the ‘high potential' category if they lack impressive athleticism. Just look at how some current NBA stars were viewed entering the league. Draft Express had this to say about Kevin Love in 2008: "... There are serious doubts about how his proficiency will translate to the pro level... there really aren't many players at his height with his lack of athleticism in the pros, and it's tough to guess how high in the draft a team will be willing to take a chance on him." Here are some comments on Marc Gasol "The current leader in efficiency rating in the ACB League, Marc Gasol has built a pretty mistake-free style of game that helps him to emerge as a statistical standout.... How much will Gasol's lack of athleticism get exposed in the NBA? I guess that's the question every single decision maker will be asking himself" before he fell to the second round in 2007. Paul Millsap dropped to the late second round in 2006 in spite of impressive collegiate production. The reason for Millsap's drop is likely captured in NBADraft.net's lowly 7/10, 5/10. And 7/10 ratings for athleticism, size, and potential. Stephen Curry and James Harden both earned a "limited upside?" flag from Draft Express; Curry due to his "frail frame" and "average athleticism, lateral quickness, and wingspan", Harden due to his "average size and athleticism." These are all players I would put on the far right of the ‘raw' to ‘skilled' continuum, yet they moved along faster growth trajectories in the pros than any of their peers. Those growth trajectories are exactly what the concept of potential is supposed to be measuring.

Edited December 6, 2017 by DBac

[hawkman]

3 hours ago, AHF said:

Shane Heal?  What?  Is this how you evaluate all prospects?  Seems strange to ask to see footage of an 18 year old against NBA players.  There is more video of Doncic on the floor with NBA players than anyone in the draft.  (Like the game versus Spain where he faced 6 guys with NBA experience).  

That was not an evaluation. I'm not comparing him to Heal or Schmidt directly. I'm just familiar with the hype that engulfs Euro players who 'hold their own' against NBA level talent or former NBA talent. I've been around long enough to remember when NBA GMs went bonkers over Euro prospects and most lived to regret it. I'm not saying he's not a good prospect, but I thought the purpose of this rebuild was to draft the superstar that we can't seem to acquire through trade or free agency. Now if he's that guy, I'm fine with it. 

[NBASupes]

9 hours ago, DBac said:

Next James Harden

He's nowhere near as athletic as Harden was in college or even Harden at Artesia. 

[NBASupes]

9 hours ago, DBac said:

Next James Harden

In what world is he this athletic: