The top of the 2018 NBA Draft looks like it’s going to be absolutely stacked. This doesn’t just mean that the top player or two are hot commodities that have the potential to transform a franchise, but the entire lottery (and much of the first round) has players who are expected to make an impact over the course of their NBA careers.
But of course, the players at the very top of the draft are players that any team in the lottery would love to have. For a team that could use a young and creative playmaking wing, 19-year-old Slovenian star Luka Doncic makes a ton of sense. He’s been tearing it up for Real Madrid in Liga ACB for some time now, and whenever word of his exploits abroad make it stateside, heads turn.
The latest example of this came on Wednesday, when Doncic registered a triple-double in Real Madrid’s 104-89 win over Real Betis. News of Doncic’s exploits came from Antonis Stroggylakis of EuroHoops.net.
Doncic registered what looks like a pretty meager triple-double by American hoops standards: 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. However, Doncic managed to do this in 22:33 of action, shot 100 percent from the field, and games in Europe are 40 minutes long instead of the 48 we’re used to over here. As you can guess, Doncic looked like he was in complete control of the game.
To make this even more impressive, Doncic’s triple-double was the first in Liga ACB in 11 years, as Orlando Magic legend Fran Vasquez registered one in 2007. It’s also only the seventh in league history, and Doncic is the youngest player to ever reach this mark.
It can be kind of hard for some fans to get fired up over Doncic due to the fact that he plays abroad and guys like Deandre Ayton and Marvin Bagley are more visible stateside. But as this performance showed, Doncic has the potential to be special once he suits up for an NBA squad.
