The 2018 NBA Draft features two prospects at the very top that are, to most, in a class by themselves. Arizona center Deandre Ayton and Real Madrid’s versatile guard/wing Luka Doncic are expected to be taken by the Suns and Kings at the top of the draft.
Fans that are unfamiliar with Doncic got a chance to see him in EuroLeague action during the Final Four, as Madrid’s game against CSKA Moscow was broadcast on NBA TV on Friday. Doncic had a big game in a win with 16 points and seven rebounds and on Saturday he was awarded EuroLeague MVP honors, which is an incredible feat for a 19-year-old.
The 2017-18 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP!
What a season from @luka7doncic pic.twitter.com/QWNgutxJne
— Turkish Airlines EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) May 19, 2018
Doncic averaged 16.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game, in just under 26 minutes played per game, over the 32 game EuroLeague season for Real Madrid. Doncic’s playmaking ability at 6’6 is what has NBA teams drooling over the possibilities of adding him to their roster. He’s shown flashes of being a quality shooter at 33.1 percent from three-point range in the EuroLeague, and has the potential to continue improving in that area at the NBA level.
As always happens with European prospects, the same lazy questions have been lobbed out there about whether he’s physical enough for the NBA, but anyone that checked in on Friday’s game against CSKA Moscow or has watched him in EuroLeague play or ACB play has seen how physically ready he is to play in the NBA.
