Slovenia’s emerging superstar Luka Doncic is quickly establishing himself as the hottest young talent in international basketball. When you look at what he has already achieved at such a young age it’s easy to see why he has caught the attention of basketball scouts all over the globe.
Europe’s wonder kid blasted onto the court when he debuted in the Liga ACB for Real Madrid at only 16 years of age. This made him the third-youngest player ever to play in the competition and when he started to become a household name in all NBA front offices.
In the three years since then, he has turned in to one of the best players in Europe regardless of his young age. Once he’s on the court, playing against older players doesn’t seem to faze him in the slightest, and his competitiveness, athleticism and general understanding of the game is mature well beyond his years.
Coming in at 6-foot-8 and weighing 228 pounds he already has the body of a fully grown man which he uses to his advantage when dribbling past opposition. However, it’s his versatility that makes him such a threat on the court, with the ability to shoot from range, get a shot off in tight situations, or draw players in before releasing pinpoint accurate passes through the lane.
No European has ever had such an impressive resume as Doncic heading into the NBA draft. Back in September, he was part of the Slovenian team that won the country’s first ever European championship when they defeated Serbia 93-85. His dominant performances at the competition were so good that they earned him a spot on the All-Tournament Team, as well as praise from many of the senior players at the event. It was an incredible result for the side who also knocked out pre-tournament favourites Spain in the semifinals.
Recently he has been tearing the EuroLeague leaderboard apart, and sits second for total points, eighth for assists and 11th in rebounds. It’s these kind of statistics that have him being compared with Philadelphia 76ers rookie sensation Ben Simmons. The young Australian is having an unbelievable first season in the NBA and is currently the hot favourite for rookie of the year at 2/9 according to NBA betting on bet365. Some pundits believe that Doncic has the potential to make a similar impact in the league and he is certainly going to be hot property when the draft comes around in June.
In December he was awarded his third MVP of the season, more than any other player in the EuroLeague. He also came within two rebounds of completing the first triple-double in the competition for 11 years.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the way he is playing, is the level of maturity that he brings onto the court. There were flashes of it earlier on in his career, but now at 18, he seems more comfortable with the ball and ready to control the game. Already he is a player with very few weaknesses and if he continues to grow as a player the way he has in the last three years, there’s no saying how good he could get.
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