When the Dallas Mavericks went all-in on Luka Doncic in the 2018 NBA Draft, trading with the Atlanta Hawks, there were more than a few folks out there that questioned the Mavs' decision. One of those skeptics was former NBA star Gilbert Arenas.
It didn't take long for Arenas to change his opinion on Doncic, though, and a recent interview the former three-time All-Star opened up about why he believes Doncic is truly special for the Mavs (via Whistle Sports):
"I thought Luka was too slow. Didn't know how he'd get his shot off… I messed up on that one."
A LOT of people were wrong about @luka7doncic, Gilbert Arenas was one of them. But it only took Agent Zero 1️⃣ game to know he was special.
⬇️ FULL EPISODE ⬇️https://t.co/0R6Q5hYpBb pic.twitter.com/txAVgZ5Nc3
— Whistle (@WhistleSports) January 27, 2021
Arenas expressed how he initially doubted the young Mavs star's ability to excel in the NBA—something that he admitted to being a completely wrong assessment:
“I really fell in love with Luka,” Arenas said. “I was watching him when he was coming to the draft process and I was like, ‘Man the guy is too slow. I don't know how he's gonna get his shot off.' And then, I see one live game and I was like, ‘I messed up on that one.'”
Arenas had nothing but praise for Doncic's game and the type of player that he is. In the mind of the 39-year-old, he has no doubt that this young kid is going places, maybe one day leading the Mavs back to the promised land:
“Luka's just different,” added Arenas. “There's a reason that he is performing the way he is versus others in the path. He has the makeup that just makes him different, that makes him stand out.”
For his part, Luka is having another tremendous campaign for the Mavs. He's been so good early in the season that he's forced his way into the MVP conversation. We're pretty sure Arenas wouldn't disagree with that notion.
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