Luka Doncic, G, Real Madrid
Strengths:
At 6’8″, Luka Doncic certainly has the size to be a dominant guard. Doncic is an extremely athletic player and a fantastic rebounder. He is able to use his size to grab boards and immediately push the ball down the court in transition. Doncic can play on the ball or off and he has great passing instincts with a solid handle. As the primary ball handler, Luka excels in attacking the pick and roll, using his athleticism to blow by smaller guards. He can get a bucket at the rim with a variety of creative off-foot finishes from either side of the basket. Doncic is also an excellent shooter and can shoot off the dribble or out of the pick and roll.
Weaknesses:
Looking at Luka Doncic’s game, there are three main areas of weakness, all of which can be improved with a little more experience and or time in the gym. First, he struggles to shoot off the catch. When playing as the secondary guard, Doncic is more than capable of finding open space. However, his shot seems to suffer when shooting directly off a pass.
Second, Luka struggles with hitting the roll man in the pick and roll. If he wants to be a point guard in the NBA, he will have to work on his decision making. Finally, Doncic struggles to defend quicker, smaller guards off the dribble. Once again, that is something that can be corrected given his size and athleticism.
Fit:
There is the old mantra, “take the best player available”. Well, Doncic may be the very best player in the 2018 draft. In fact, many are labelling him as one of the best prospects the league has seen in years. His size allows him to play either guard spot or even slide down to the three in a small ball lineup. If he is able to improve his decision making, Luka Doncic could be the next Phoenix Suns point guard for many years. Alternatively, the Suns’ staff could see him more as a wing player and look to develop him off the ball. Either way, a good coach will find room for Doncic in his rotation.