Luka Doncic dominates annual GM Survey but was not top player to build around

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is unquestionably one of the best players in the NBA. The 23-year-old made his case for the league’s best as he led Dallas to the conference finals last season. Doncic is a matchup nightmare that just keeps getting better.

The NBA released its annual GM survey on Oct. 4 where all 30 top executives responded to 50 different questions. Doncic found his name on 12 different lists, including being the favorite to win MVP this season by taking 48 percent of the vote. Giannis Antetokounmpo was the only other player to top 15 percent in that category.

Most surprising was a category that Doncic did not win. Here is a look at where Luka landed and why him not being the player most GMs wanted to build around was a shocking upset.

Luka Doncic dominates annual GM Survey but was not best player to build around

Doncic was just one of two players the GM selected as the player they most wanted to build around, but it was Giannis that took 55 percent of the tally. Luka won that category one year ago with 43 percent of the vote. Antetokounmpo is four years older, so it was surprising to see him edge Doncic. Number 77 is the top young talent in the league, and he could easily surpass the Greek Freak as the league’s best player this season.

Doncic earned votes in best point guard, shooting guard, and small forward that tallied him as the fourth-best player overall. He was also named second-best international player, second-best passer, and had the fifth-best basketball IQ. Luka tied for fourth in the category of most coaching adjustments caused, and he received votes in best at moving without the ball and who the GM would want taking the shot with the game on the line.

Luka Doncic was tied for the most mentioned player in the annual GM survey with Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the executives had the Dallas Mavericks tied for sixth in the Western Conference. The NBA's general mangers are high on Luka, and nobody wants to face him in the playoffs. Will he take over as the best player in the NBA this season? It is something worth watching.