Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is considered among the MVP candidates. In recent weeks, he has led his team to victory after victory and at a young age he was already qualified for the Western Conference Finals. However, there was a time that the NBA overlooked Luka’s talent.
It was 2018 when Luka Doncic entered the NBA draft. He was coming off of a historic season in Europe where he became the youngest MVP award winner in the EuroLeague and was also named a Final-4 MVP. No player has achieved such highs in such a young age and Doncic was confirming how special he is.
Before his MVP season in 2018, the young Luka Doncic came away with the Gold medal in the 2017 EuroBasket. The 18-year-old was not just a bench warmer that was happy to be around professional basketball players.
He was paired with Goran Dragic in Slovenia’s backcourt and led the team to success, winning the first gold medal in the history of the basketball federation. Despite all those accolades, NBA scouts were still skeptical about how Doncic’s ability would translate in the NBA.
The scouts were questioning his defense, his lack of explosiveness and if his offensive prowess could be part of an NBA franchise. The Bleacher Report was comparing him to Brandon Roy and Manu Ginobili, while it was projected him as an All-Star at most. In contrary, Doncic is already set to surpass those comparisons.
The scouts were questioning his defense, his lack of explosiveness and whether his offensive prowess could be part of an NBA franchise. The Bleacher Report was comparing him to Brandon Roy and Manu Ginobili, while he was projected as an All-Star at most. In contrary, Doncic is already set to surpass those comparisons.
He could be the best and most skilled European player who ever played in the NBA if he continues at that pace. The scouting reports were talking more about his ability to pass the ball than anything else, while Bleacher Report wrote about not expecting to see Doncic being the leading scorer of his rookie class.
On the contrary, the Slovenia phenom posted 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists registering the best rookie season NBA fans had seen since LeBron James in 2003. That said, three teams passed him while several media had him placed out for the Top-3. Mike Schmitz of ESPN rated him fourth on his board. The Ringer placed him third.
Luka Doncic believed he was going to Sacramento
Sometimes luck could be at your side in the draft process. No one was expecting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to become an MVP candidate after being taken 11th in the 2018 NBA Draft. His trade to the rebuilding OKC was a pivotal moment for him, as he played alongside Chris Paul during his sophomore season and became the face of the franchise during his third year.
SGA started his NBA journey with the Clippers, who were trying to bring star power to the team to compete for a championship. Shai had a backup role in that team, so he could not be the first option in a playoff contender. Returning to Doncic, the Slovenian was on the clock right up to the third pick, when Atlanta Hawks selected him and send him to Dallas for Trae Young shortly afterwards.
In contrast to Shai who was a more raw talent, Luka Doncic had the accolades and the background to make an immediate impact in any winning team. However, the Sacramento Kings, who were on the clock with Doncic available to be picked, decided to make a move for forward/center in order to pair him with young point guard D’Aaron Fox.
With Vlade Divac running the operation in Sacramento, many people were expecting the Kings to show more trust in Luka Doncic’s ability. However, the European NBA legend ended up going with a proven talent in the collegiate level like Marvin Bagley. Speaking to The Athletic’s Sam Amick in 2020, Doncic thought that he was going to Sacramento.
“They came to Madrid,” Luka Doncic said. “They came with the owner. Everybody came, so I honestly thought they were going to pick me.”
Whenever anyone brings up Luka Doncic’s draft situation, everyone is reminded of the great Sacramento Kings’ draft bluff. In the end, everything worked out of course, Doncic is making history in Dallas, the Kings are back in the playoffs and both teams seem to be happy with where they are now.
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