Despite a huge effort from Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic, the Sacramento Kings still emerged victorious in the Western Conference matchup on Sunday night, 120-113. After the game, Doncic revealed that at one point, he had already envisioned himself as a member of the Kings.
When asked if he had any inclination that the Kings would draft him using their second overall pick last June, Doncic admitted that he thought he was already on his way to Sacramento.
“I did, I did,” Doncic said, via Jason Jones of The Athletic. “Especially because they came to Madrid, we had dinner, so I did, at some point I did. But it didn’t happen.”
The Kings picked Marvin Bagley III one spot ahead of Doncic, who himself was drafted third overall by the Atlanta Hawks and then traded to Dallas. Bagley is unquestionably a very promising big man, but many believe he does not possess the cornerstone potential Doncic has.
On Sunday night, Doncic torched the Kings en route to 28 points (on 9-of-15 shooting), six rebounds, nine assists, one steal, and five turnovers in 35 minutes of action. However, it was not enough to topple the Kings, who were led by the backcourt duo of De'Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield, who also had 28 points apiece.
For his part, Bagley was out of action on Sunday as he continues to be sidelined by a left knee bone bruise. While he may not exactly be Rookie of the Year material, the Kings still have a very valuable building block in the 19-year-old.
Follow Us
Subscribe