NBA Draft 2018 News, Speculations: Luka Doncic May Be the Player Most Likely to Succeed From This Year's Class
Doncic's playmaking ability and diverse offensive repertoire sets him apart from the top draft prospects
With less than three months to go before the 2018 NBA draft, there's still a great deal of uncertainty at the top.
There's no one player that has really stood out from the pack and made the case to be the clear cut number one selection.
That's a bit of an issue for NBA teams because they want certainty with their selections.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Well, for the NBA team that wants a player who has a great shot at being a star in the NBA, the ideal selection may be none other than Real Madrid's Luka Doncic.
To be clear, Doncic is not a Tim Duncan, LeBron James or Anthony Davis-type, can't-miss prospect. He has flaws.
In a recent mock draft article, Heavy.com's Jonathan Adams noted that Doncic is not one of the most athletic prospects, and that's not a view exclusive to him. Compared to someone like a DeAndre Ayton, Marvin Bagley or Mohamed Bamba, and the Real Madrid player can look decidedly less impressive — at least, from an athleticism standpoint.
However, while the modern NBA still places a great deal of value on being a world-class athlete, it's now more important than ever for players to also be highly skilled, and that is where Doncic has the edge.
With the ball in his hands and the intent of attacking, Doncic can prove incredibly difficult to stop.
As NBADraft.net noted, Doncic is a player who's capable of scoring from multiple levels.
When he's behind the three-point line and he becomes a threat to pull-up and splash a bomb. When he's chased off the three-point line, he can plunge into the heart of the defense and finish at the rim by using his wide array of lay-ups and floaters. If players on the opposite team lose track of him in the middle of a play, he could end up hitting an open midrange shot.
That's not all, Doncic also possesses the abilities and instincts necessary to create plays for his teammates, so even when the defense sells out to stop him, he can make the pass that leads to an easy score.
Because Doncic is so exceptionally skilled, it's hard to imagine him not finding a way to be effective at the next level. Even if it takes him some time to get acclimated to being guarded by more athletic players, he can still pull out some moves from his big bag of tricks to get the job done.
There's a chance that Doncic may never turn into an elite defender in the NBA, but there are players who have reached superstar status without being a stopper on the defensive end.
Doncic has a high floor as an NBA prospect, and he combines that with multi-time All-Star potential. Other players may have higher ceilings, but for a team that just wants to be sure that it will have a reliable contributor for years to come, Doncic may be the man to select in the draft.
More news about the 2018 NBA draft should be made available soon.
