18-year-old Luka Doncic already has a lot of fans among NBA circles, particularly among the league’s European players. Fellow Slovenian Goran Dragic has raved about his countryman, while Kristaps Porzingis thinks the teenage sensation should be the next No. 1 pick.
Count Spanish legend Pau Gasol in that growing list of Doncic’s admirers as well. According to The Athletic Chicago’s Darnell Mayberry, the San Antonio Spurs center thinks it’s rare how good someone like Doncic is at such a young age.
Pau Gasol on Luka Doncic: “It’s really rare how young this guy is and how well he plays at his age. He just continues to grow.” #Bulls
— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) October 21, 2017
Pau Gasol had a firsthand look at how good the 18-year-old Doncic already is this summer. Doncic starred against Gasol’s Spain in the semifinals of EuroBasket as he recorded a near-triple-double of 11 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists to lead Slovenia to the huge upset win over the defending champions. Doncic and Slovenia eventually went on to win the tournament.
Despite his current club Real Madrid’s best efforts, Doncic looks set to enter the 2018 draft. When he does, he’ll likely be one of the top players selected. If glowing endorsements from stars like Porzingis and Gasol turn out to be accurate, whoever picks Doncic should have a very good player even as a teenager, and has a chance to grow into the next big European star.
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