total-football<\/a>” on the hardwood, LeBron surgically slices open defenses, and the Rockets find open 3’s all over the floor. Did I forget to mention he runs the pick-and-roll as effectively as a veteran NBA starting PG? Well, he already does. In transition? Forget about it. He can go coast to coast for the dunk or drill the open 3 on the move.<\/p>\nOne revelation at the FIBA tournament was Doncic’s improved rebounding. He looked like an elite defensive rebounder. They say rebounding instincts are nearly impossible to teach. Again, his IQ seems to be ahead of the curve, using his mind more than his strength against the grown men he is boxing out and out-rebounding. Eight rebounds in under 30 minutes of action for a kid playing perimeter positions is remarkable. Is there space for improvement? Undoubtedly. He may still grow and will certainly fill out his frame over. His effort and motor are unquestionable and his engagement to finish off defensive possessions with a box out is consistent. Defensive rebounding is a skill rarely praised on TV but is extremely valuable and earns major brownie points in the locker room with teammates (and perhaps more importantly, the coaching staff). If his shooting and playmaking skills make his teammates better on offense, it will be his effort on the defensive glass that will make an immediate impact on defense.<\/p>\n
So is Luka Doncic perfect? Of course not. There is no perfect NBA prospect. LeBron James left high school with a shaky jump shot. Kevin Durant couldn’t lift a calculus book. Steph Curry lacked explosiveness. James Harden was sort of slow. Russell Westbrook couldn’t hit the side of a barn. Kawhi couldn’t really shoot either. All these prospects did share one very important trait though. They had the foundation on which to build upon their skills and eventually became the elite superstars of the league today. Doncic has the same foundation, and as I’ve already noted it may actually include a more diverse array of skills than any of those other prospects did at the age of 18. Doncic has proven himself against professional men, something they did not have the opportunity to do while playing in high school or against student athletes. Although all the signs were very promising the past few weeks, the one area Luka needs to continue to make steady improvement is the defensive end of the floor. There are two ends of the court and defense is as important as offense if you want to develop into a franchise player, let alone generational superstar.<\/p>\n
http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=HldJQv6vDQY<\/p>\n
Luka competes with the effort and intensity to contribute as a team defender, but lacks the strength and lateral foot speed to make an impact right away against NBA athletes. His defensive instincts and IQ are above average, so if he continues to bulk up while improving his explosiveness and footwork Doncic has the opportunity to become a good defensive player. Handling the daily grind of facing the best athletes in the world will be a whole different challenge than competing hard for three weeks against European competition. The progress he makes on defense will define whether Doncic becomes an offensive superstar, think T-Mac and Vince Carter, or a transformative generational basketball great, think LeBron. Doncic is so unique that it might be unfair to compare him to anyone else, but we are talking about potentially historic impact here, not just player prototypes.<\/p>\n
The funny thing is that in terms of prototypes, if Luka’s combination of shooting and playmaking progresses at a decent rate it should still result in him following in the footsteps of perhaps the greatest European NBA career: Dirk Nowitzki, who became a strong rebounder but was never a very good defender overall. That would make Doncic a future first ballot Hall-of-Famer.<\/p>\n
There you have it, I’ve done the unfathomable and given Doncic’s career projection the lower bound of a playmaking wing version of Dirk and the upper bound of a mix between Drazen Petrovic and Larry Bird. Absolutely ludicrous expectations to place upon the broad shoulders of a basketball prospect, and yet in line with the incredible accomplishments of the 18-year-old to date. Now we have nine more months (another full season) at Real Madrid to savor Doncic as he continues to blow all reasonable expectations away. Let’s see if the hype train subsides while other special prospects like Marvin Bagley and Michael Porter possibly supplant him atop draft boards by next June. But I wouldn’t bet against Luka.<\/p>\n
Several months ago I planned on naming my next puppy after Luka. Those plans are currently on hold, but in a few years there is a legitimate possibility that my first born child will be named after him. That depends on only two factors; the baby’s gender and Luka’s progress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Luka Doncic is one of the few NBA prospects that gets you excited years ahead of their eligibility to enter…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":741931,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[703639074,703639566],"tags":[326624608,291140,105385967,78820],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Luka Doncic: The Future of Basketball - The Sports Daily<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n