In hindsight, it is absurd to see that Luka Doncic He slipped to the third overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft, and the team that selected him – the Atlanta Hawks – even decided to trade him to the Dallas Mavericks for the picks that became Trae Young and Cam Reddish. Doncic has become one of the best players in the association, as he is as close to an unstoppable offensive creator as there is in the NBA today.
However, some NBA players weren’t entirely convinced of the merits of Doncic’s game in 2018, when he was still a 19-year-old forward the Mavericks weren’t quite sure how to maximize. One of these players It was Jeff Teague, who, on the Club 520 podcast (via Sporting News), admitted that Doncic was “lazy” and not “doing enough” to occupy one of the top spots on the league’s totem pole.
Another player who had to see Luka Doncic dominate to believe is former Mavericks point guard James Johnson. During an appearance on The OGs Show, Johnson admitted that he wasn’t too convinced by Goran Dragic (his former Miami Heat teammate), who was convinced Doncic “would be the best player one day.”
“I was like, yeah, that’s right. How big is he? I think Rick (Carlisle) had him at the four back then. He didn’t have a good game at the four. We talked to (Dragic) again; I thought you said your guy was nice. He said he just wasn’t playing the right position,” Johnson said.
Indeed, the Mavericks had to cede primary ball-handling duties to get the most out of Luka Doncic. It didn’t take long for Doncic to become one of the most complete scorers and playmakers in the entire association, with Johnson now fully on board the Doncic hype train.
“Boom. Once Rick [Carlisle] “I put him in first place, and the man went crazy. He had four triple-doubles in a row and 30-point games. I thought, ‘Your boy is a maestro,'” Johnson recalled.
Luka Doncic battles European stereotypes to become cornerstone of Mavericks franchise
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It was obvious that Luka Doncic had a lot of talent in him; after all, before entering the NBA in 2018, he was named Euroleague MVP and Final Four MVP as a he managed Real Madrid to the 2018 EuroLeague title. He was only 19 at the time, yet he was competing against grown men, yet still thriving.
It was puzzling at the time that the Phoenix Suns would choose Deandre Ayton over Doncic, even though Igor Kokoskov, the head coach of the Slovenian national team at the time, was at the helm of the Suns. Additionally, the Sacramento Kings immediately has become the laughing stock of the league when they selected Marvin Bagley III over Doncic – with former general manager Vlade Divac caving to concerns about Doncic’s athleticism and defensive viability.
Of course, it’s the Mavericks franchise that would have the greatest confidence in Doncic and his ability to lead the team to great heights. Trust in Dirk Nowitzki has been richly rewarded After all. Doncic still has a ways to go before he matches Nowitzki’s greatness for the franchise, but he’s not too far off, especially if he builds on his incredible 2023-24 season.