Since having a breakout year in the Spanish League last season, Luka Doncic has continued to receive a lot of attention from basketball fans around the world. That especially holds true for scouts who cannot wait for him to take his talents to the U.S. and has also been projected to be one of the top picks in next year’s NBA Draft.
The 18-year-old Slovenian international may now be used to receiving a lot of high praises for his very unique skill set, but now he has received more, this time from one of Europe’s best coaches ever, Dusan Ivkovic. While he’s been compared to some European greats like Drazen Petrovic and Toni Kukoc, among others, the legendary coach recently said that he thinks Doncic is even more mature than the two aforementioned players at the age of 18, according to Antonis Stroggylakis of EuroHoops.
“He’s (Doncic) a phenomenon. Drazen Petrovic played “1” and Toni Kukoc from “1” to “4”. I believe that neither of them played so maturely when they were 18, as Doncic plays now,” Ivkovic said.
Ivkovic’s comments definitely say a lot about how bright the future of Doncic is. He’s had the opportunity to coach both Petrovic and Kukoc, which makes his statement even more impressive for the Real Madrid guard. He certainly knows what it takes for a player to be special, and he’s obviously already seen that from him at this stage.
Doncic is once again having a solid season in the Liga ACB and EuroLeague, averaging 16.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.1 steals thorough 31 games. If he continues to play at this level or even surpass it as the season progresses, it can be expected that he will receive more compliments that will boost his stock further for the next lottery.
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