Scouting European Sensation Luka Doncic’s Fit With Dallas

Basketball sensation Luka Doncic is accomplishing things in Europe that have never been done before by someone his age. The Dallas Mavericks could be an intriguing fit for the Slovenian star.

Let me be perfectly clear, the Mavericks are a long ways away from June and the season is far from lost despite a rocky start.

That being said, it is never too early to start looking at the draft.

I will begin to breakdown some of the best draft prospects and their respective fits with Dallas as we continue to progress through the regular season slate. So to kick things off, let’s start with a bang and dive into the polarizing Luka Doncic.

Luka Doncic is an 18-year-old guard/wing playing for Real Madrid (yes they have a basketball team too) in both the Liga ACB and also, the best basketball league outside of the NBA, the EuroLeague. He already has an impressive, NBA-ready frame at 6’8″ 215 lbs and he was the youngest player ever to debut for Real Madrid at 16 years, 2 months, and 2 days.

He is currently leading the EuroLeague in PPG (20.9), PER (29.4), and win shares (2.2) while also coming in 6th in RPG (6.1) and 14th in APG (4.2). For comparison, in Kristaps Porzingis’s last year he posted averages of 11.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 0.8 APG. Those are actually very impressive numbers for someone his age, Doncic’s are unprecedented.

At this point, Doncic looks like one of the most polished draft prospects entering the draft this decade. His offensive game is reminiscent of a much taller Steve Nash. His passing vision is on par with prospects like Lonzo Ball and Ben Simmons and he has a sweet stroke that can make defenders pay from anywhere on the court. His ball-handling is elite for someone his size, not unlike Simmons once again.

There isn’t much Luka can’t do well, especially on the offensive end.

He can shoot, drive, pass, rebound, handle the ball, play in the post, space the floor, make well-timed off-ball cuts, and run the pick-and-roll. In fact, he is already one of the best pick-and-roll ball handlers in all of Europe. This skill will translate nicely to the NBA especially for a coach like Rick Carlisle who runs it in his offense quite often.

Doncic proved he could put up big numbers against NBA-proven talent this past summer when he led Slovenia to a surprise twenty point victory in the FIBA EuroBasket Tournament over heavy favorites Spain. “The Wonder Kid” was named first team all-tournament and stood out among established NBA stars such as Porzingis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the Gasol brothers.

No prospect is without weaknesses, of course. Doncic is not an elite athlete which scares off a lot of draft pundits when it comes to his projection to the next level. He can struggle to gain separation in isolation scoring situations at times because of his lack of elite burst. His athleticism can also hurt him on the defensive end. Doncic is a high-IQ, competitive defender for the most part but he has ways to go on containing players with elite quickness and guarding the pick-and-roll.

Finally, assessing Doncic’s fit with Dallas can be a bit tricky.

Many believe that adding another primary initiator on offense could hinder Dennis Smith Jr.’s development as a player and that the pairing would not work. Others, including me, actually love Doncic’s fit on the Mavericks and the potential pairing of him and Smith Jr.

It seems clear to me that Carlisle likes having a secondary initiator on the floor at all times. Often times criticized by fans for his small-ball lineups, Carlisle will throw out two, three, and even four point guard lineups to keep the ball moving in his motion offense.

Doncic can be your de-facto second “point guard” while also being able to play any of the shooting guard, small forward, or power forward positions. He would allow Carlisle to run the sets he wants to run without having to sacrifice size on the court like he has for several years.

Furthermore, Doncic would be Carlisle’s dream of a player. His knowledge of the game is already off-the-charts, he is praised for being an immensely hard worker, and his teammates and coaches never have any issues getting along with the kid.

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Doncic’s shooting ability allows for him to be an adequate floor-spacer for when Dennis Smith Jr. is taking sole command of an offensive possession. Smith Jr.’s athletic ability would set up a lot of Doncic-to-Smith Jr. alley oops reminiscent of the Jason Kidd and Rodrigue Beabouis connection several years ago. Harrison Barnes would undoubtedly benefit from having another creator on the offensive end to get him the ball in positions to score.

A core of Dennis Smith Jr., Luka Doncic, and Harrison Barnes with Rick Carlisle coaching would do a lot to accelerate the rebuilding process in Dallas.

The tantalizing athletic abilities of Smith and Barnes combined with the offensive wizardry of Luka Doncic would completely unlock the full potential of Carlisle’s offense. Ideally, adding a defensive minded shooting guard and center to that core would set up a starting five ready to develop into a potential contender in the Western Conference.

Next: Ranking Top 10 NBA Rookies

Doncic could very well be off the board by the time the Mavericks are selecting in June, but if not, he could do a lot to restore the glory of a once dominant NBA franchise.