Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic will break into the NBA hardwood as the most accomplished European prospect the league has ever seen, having conquered multiple titles with Real Madrid on his way to becoming the Euroleague's youngest MVP at a mere 19 years of age.
European legend Milos Teodosic compared the Slovenian wonderboy's talent to that of another lauded scorer — a sign that the 6-foot-8 dynamo is no joke.
“Since Drazen (Petrovic) there hasn’t been such a young, but great talent,” Teodosic said of Doncic, according to EuroHoops. “Luka led Real Madrid to the European champion trophy and carried the whole team throughout the season. He plays that style of transition basketball, faster. He will need an adaptation period, but he’s got Dirk Nowitzki beside him, and he plays in a team that somewhat cherishes the European style. I’m convinced that has an amazing NBA career is in front of him. He moved to the NBA at the right moment, as he is 19 and can work on his body.”
To this day, Petrovic is one of the best-regarded European shooters to ever live, making the 3-point shot his main weapon and one that proved ultimately devastating as the NBA first incorporated the 3-point line into the game in 1984.
Petrovic, a 6-foot-4 Croatian shooting guard, played only four years in the NBA but boasted a deadly 43.7 percent clip from deep through his career, which was cut short after a tragic car accident that took his life at 28 years old.
Doncic already has some major advantages over Petrovic to start his career — as playing for the Mavs, a franchise that has carved a European legend through the last two decades plays to his immediate favor — setting up the ultimate passing of the torch from one great European to another.
Unlike Nowitzki though, Doncic boasts the speed and athleticism of the modern NBA game, along with a battle-tested history in the second-best league in the world in Spain's Liga ACB.
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