Luka Doncic is one of the most decorated European prospects ever, and Goran Dragic had nothing but praise for the 18-year-old.
Goran Dragic and Slovenia won the 2017 EuroBasket championship on Sunday, and the 31-year-old took home MVP honors. Following Dragic’s performance, he raved about teammate Luka Doncic, who’s gained a ton of steam over the last few months that has put him in position to be the first overall pick in the 2018 draft.
“He’s going to be the best player in Europe in a couple of years, trust me on that. In the NBA, too,” explained Dragic. “He’s a born winner. I’m not kidding. He already has a lot of trophies, medals, and I’m really happy for him.
“Mark my words, he’s going to be one of the best in the whole world.”
In nine Eurobasket games, Doncic averaged 14.3 points, 8.2 boards and 3.6 assists in 29.3 minutes. For his size (6-8, about 200) and his age, the skill level is eye-popping, and the only questionable part of his game is his athleticism. Scouts who are more knowledgeable than me don’t know if Doncic’s explosiveness will benefit him at the NBA level, and that leads to concerns on both ends of the floor.
Also Read: The Issue With Composite NBA Player Rankings
Regardless, he’s still only going to get better. Organizations won’t have to worry about Doncic relying on athleticism to make an impact. Plus, he’s spent the last two seasons with Real Madrid, one of Europe’s premier teams that had seen a slew of players with NBA appearances.
Only time will tell if Doncic can become the NBA’s best player. He’s got a promising career ahead of him, but Dragic’s assertion is bold no matter who we’re talking about.
Start a conversation with me on Twitter