The Dallas Mavericks decided to trade up in the 2018 NBA Draft, sending their No. 5 pick, along with a 2019 protected first round pick, to the Atlanta Hawks for their No. 3 selection. In doing so, the Mavs were able to acquire Slovenian-born sensation Luka Doncic.
Doncic, now 19 years of age, was a highly-recruited prospect, and for good reason. While playing for Liga ACB last season, he became a EuroLeague Rising Star, champion, and MVP. He's got great ball-handling skills, excellent court vision, and can play several positions.
Doncic played in 61 games last season, averaging 14.5 points on 45.6 percent shooting from the field (30.9 percent from beyond the arc), 5.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.
Though he's performed extremely well internationally, eurohoops.net reports that Doncic won't be playing for Slovenia against Spain and Montenegro in the third window of FIBA World Cup Qualification. The report also notes that Doncic will not participate in the NBA Summer League.
The Slovenian NT staff, after a conversation with the 19-year-old, decided that he would miss the third window, as the Dallas Mavericks suggested the player to rest. It is to be noted that Doncic won’t join the NBA summer league either.
Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle noted that he and his staff are making this call to give Doncic a bit of a break.
“We've got to understand that he is 19,” coach Rick Carlisle recently told ESPN's Tim MacMahon. “NBA stardom doesn't happen overnight. It's going to be a process, and we've got to protect him as well as be excited for him to get on the floor and do the things that he's done so well in Europe.”
Remember, just two days before Tuesday's Draft, Doncic and Real Madrid won the Spanish League championship. With the start of the 2018-19 NBA season just a few months away, it seems the Mavs would like to use this time to further prepare their young star for the rigors of an 82-game grind.
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