DID you know that much-decorated Slovenian wing Luka Doncic, whose draft rights were immediately shipped to the Dallas Mavericks after the Atlanta Hawks picked him with the No. 3 overall selection in the 2018 NBA draft, made his debut in EuroLeague competitions for Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid at the tender age of 16?
The 6-foot-8, 19-year-old point forward nicknamed “Wonder Boy” became the youngest player to debut for the Real Madrid first team in the Liga ACB at age 16 years, two months and two days.
At the time, Doncic was the third-youngest hoopster to make his debut in the ACB overall, trailing only 14-year-old Spanish playmaker Ricky Rubio (now with the Utah Jazz) and 15-year-old Angel Rebolo.
Doncic won back-to-back EuroLeague Rising Star awards, joining New Orleans Pelicans forward Nikola Mirotic (Montenegro) and Sacramento Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (Serbia) as the only players ever to earn “best under-22 players in Europe” honors twice.
Doncic, together with Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic, helped guide Slovenia to its first-ever EuroBasket crown in 2017. This past campaign, he romped away with three MVP awards — regular and Final Four MVP in the EuroLeague after leading Real Madrid to the title with a win over Turkey’s Fenerbahce in the finals and regular MVP in the Spanish League ACB while leading Real Madrid past Kirolbet Baskonia (3-1) in the best-of-five finals.
Doncic is in the mold of the Philadelphia 76ers point forward Ben Simmons, the 2017-18 recipient of the Eddie Gottlieb trophy that goes to the NBA’s Rookie of the Year awardee.
A high-energy player, he has the ability to run the offense, pass and attack the basket — elite offensive skills that are tailor-made for the modern NBA. Defensively, he remains a suspect, though.
Doncic is said to be a perfect fit for Mavs coach Rick Carlisle’s offensive system, which emphasizes multiple ball handlers.
Doncic did not suit up for the Mavs’ summer league team in the Las Vegas Summer League after coming off a long EuroLeague campaign.
Doncic will make his official NBA debut on October 17 (Oct. 18, Manila time) when the Mavericks travel to Phoenix to face another prominent rookie Deandre Ayton, the league’s No. 1 overall draftee last June, and the rebuilding Suns.
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