At this point, very few can dispute the fact that Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic is a special player. So much so, that Utah Jazz guard Ricky Rubio has gone out to say that in his mind, Doncic has the makings of becoming the best European player in the history of the sport.
“I knew what he was capable of because I had seen him at Real Madrid,” said Rubio, via John Askounis of Eurohoops.net. “Many didn’t really understand that he was at the best European team of last season.
“Being a MVP of your team is very difficult, especially at such a young age, but he is a very special player. I don’t like talking about him too much to avoid creating bigger expectations, but he’s one of those players you have to talk about. For me, he is going a very dangerous player and the best European of all time.”
Much like Doncic, Rubio was also a highly touted teenager coming out of the Spanish league nearly a decade ago. Having literally been there and done that, the 28-year-old Spaniard definitely knows what he's talking about.
Speaking from his own personal experience, Rubio went on to explain why he feels Doncic's current maturity level will play a crucial role in the development of the young star.
“I know how hard it is to get here at a very young age and with very high expectations,” he added. “Sometimes you get distracted. At the end, all you want is to play basketball and enjoy the sport. However, I think Luka is very mature, he has shown it from the beginning of his NBA career being an incredible leader.”
Dirk Nowitzki, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Pau Gasol, Tony Parker. These are just some of the biggest European names in the game — both past and present — and while Luka Doncic still has a very long way to go, it would be hard to completely blow off Rubio's bold claim here.
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