Luka Doncic....

Luka Doncic is one of the most talented players in the NBA right now, like instantly, like this very moment. In only 2 years, Luka Doncic has already started to take the NBA by storm and he's got everybody wondering, what's next? Despite the ridiculously hot start that Luka has been on, his run goes far beyond the NBA. But with that being said, I'd actually like to start off with his first game. Because after Luka's first game, the comments were literally everywhere. And I feel like that's a good way to set the tone for this video. And I actually mean that, both literally and figuratively, the comments were everywhere. Some people thought the league had figured Luka Doncic out already. After one game, he was going to be a bust. Give me a break. Luka's doubters, they were wrong. But the funny thing is, they were always going to be. So let's check out Luka's first game. We go to Luka Doncic, official NBA debut, enter that into the search bar on YouTube. Click the video from House of Highlights. Luka has 10 points and 8 boards. Not the best game, not the worst game, but he's a rookie. We go down to the comments and remember how I said the comments were all over the place? Yeah, there is a ridiculous amount of hate and doubt in the comments section. Not everybody was hating though. Some people knew it was only one game and developing game in the NBA, it takes time sometimes. And well, let's just say Luka was on a different timeline than everybody else. And he's actually been on different time for quite a while. Luka Doncic stands 6 foot 7, 230 pounds. And while for whatever reason Luka may not excite you with his measurables, perhaps his playstyle will. Luka is a big guard who uses his body and skill set to his full advantage. While we see the step back threes time after time, Luka has much more in his bag. He's also one of the league's best and most creative passers. He sees the game multiple steps in advance and he truly knows how to elevate the play of others around him. People will sit here and tell you that Luka is simply not the best athlete, but perhaps that makes Luka being one of the best slashers in the NBA all the more impressive. When Luka gets a step on you and gets downhill, it's game over. He flat out knows how to finish. He's a big guard that loves to slash and use his body. Luka's unique skill set makes him an terror to defend not only one on one, but in pick and roll situations. How do you guard somebody that can seemingly do anything out of a pick and roll? The answer is simple, you can't. This has led to not only Luka but the Dallas Mavericks to playing offense at a historically efficient rate. Look, I'll be one of the first to tell you exactly how great Luka Doncic is, but again the truth is that it started way before the NBA. As a matter of fact, let's take things back. In 2012, Luka Doncic was signed a 5 year contract with Real Madrid. And things got real. This was a 13 year old signing a professional contract to play basketball. And let's just say he didn't disappoint. Up to the 2014-2015 season, Luka was doing everything. He was playing competitive basketball at a very high level, he was dominating multiple tournaments, and he was racking up numerous MVPs. The reason I said up to the 2014-2015 season is because this is where things start to get a little more serious. Luka would debut for Real Madrid on April 30th, 2015. Luka would become the team's youngest player ever. At just 16 years old, Luka was ready to ball on a professional scale. The hype, the glory, the expectations. Luka was ready for it all. Keep in mind, this is no small debut, this isn't your average team. Real Madrid, this is one of the biggest teams, one of the biggest clubs in Europe. To be sure, this was big, not just big, this was giant. In Luka's debut, I may have left out that he only played for a minute and a half. But in that same minute and a half, Luka did knock down a 3. And Luka's they would go on to win. His debut made him the third youngest player to ever debut for Real Madrid. He only trailed Ribolo and Ricky Rubio. And Rubio was only 14 years and 11 months old. That's actually ridiculous. I remember watching FIBA and the Olympics, and watching a young, 14 to 15, 16 year old Ricky Rubio go toe to toe with some of the best NBA players to play the game. Man, that Spain team, that Spain team was good. And Rubio was holding his own against a prime Chris Paul and a loaded USA team. Rubio is a very good passer, one of the best floor generals I've seen. And he can be a very high level defender. Man, do you guys remember when Ricky Rubio simply refused to play for the Timberwolves and the Timberwolves got three point guards in that draft and none of them were Stephen Curry? That's really tough. Perhaps what's tougher is the fact that Rubio simply hasn't had a better NBA career. I think he has a story that needs to be told and not saying he's had a bad career in any way, but we all know it could be a little better. On October 16th, 2015, Luka Doncic would play in his first Euroleague game. The same season, games later, Luka would go on to score 15 points and grab 16 boards while dishing out four assists. This broke the record for most points scored and ranked number one in the performance index rating for an under 17 player. Oh, and I almost forgot. In the 2015-2016 season, Luka got his first small taste of NBA action. He would play against the Boston Celtics. During the 2016-2017 season, Luka would gain even more experience, this time against the OKC Thunder. His team would win and Luka would score three points, grab five boards and record four assists. During this same season, Luka would have some fantastic games and he would win his first ACB player of the week. Luka's rise was becoming evident and anything other than ordinary. In 2017-2018, tragedy would strike the Real Madrid team, but it would give Luka the opportunity of a lifetime. And when I say opportunity, I mean a chance to truly show what Luka could do on a greater scale. An opportunity that Luka would be training for his entire career. Remember, I told you guys, man, you only get one shot sometimes and you better be ready. And Luka was. Sergio Lul, he would go down with a torn ACL, which sucked. You guys know, man, ACL tears are terrible. Sometimes injuries like this can alter entire careers. Luka hit the ground running first game. He drops 27. The hype was building and everybody was ready for the ride. Weeks later, the MVPs and the awards, they just kept stacking up. But all this stuff, all these accolades, all these awards, this was nothing new. This is stuff that Luka had been doing his whole life. Luka would leave Real Madrid with the title, a final four MVP and a EuroLeague MVP. Oh, and by the way, did I mention he was the youngest to do so? At this point, I'm sounding like a broken record. It was time to look towards the NBA Draft, where comparisons, like I said earlier in the video, ranged everywhere. NBADraft.net compared They call Luka a versatile all around guard slash forward who can do just about everything on the court. Probably the most mature prospect that Europe has seen in years. A natural born leader who excels under pressure, who takes and makes big shots. As a prospect, Luka was as polished as they come. He came from a family that had basketball history. As a kid, Luka was playing grown men. I think sometimes, I think a lot of times, people sleep on exactly how good basketball leagues outside of the NBA really are. If you're playing in the EuroLeague, you're a really good basketball player. Hands down, it's that simple. When you compare a EuroLeague roster to that of a college basketball team, the choice is easy. Luka's competition level was second to none going into the 2018 NBA Draft. And then let's add the fact that he dominated his competition. He dominated grown men. And he still didn't go number one overall. Man, this feels like a bad Rick and Morty episode where I'm in some sort of simulation. Because as many times as I read the two names before Luka Doncic, it just doesn't make any sense. And that's not to slight Marvin Bagley or DeAndre Ayton, because those are good basketball players. But the Suns were right there. They had the perfect opportunity. The Suns had a coach who coached Doncic on the Slovenian national team. He saw firsthand, perhaps more than anybody else in the scouting process, what Luka Doncic could do. That's tough. The Suns coach, when asked about not drafting Doncic, he said, unfortunately, I cannot answer that question because of a professional code. But when you have already asked me, I will tell you I sleep peacefully and peaceably. Another thing I tell you guys is the constant obsession with potential. While potential is a great thing to have, sometimes it causes people to overlook things that are right in front of their faces. Ayton and Bagley are going to be really good players and Ayton already has shown us a ton of promise. And as for Bagley, I hope he fulfills the Chris Bosh, Amari Stoudemire comparison the NBA Draft.net gave him. Perhaps in coming years we'll start to see the NBA trend away from taking bigs within the first three picks with how good some of these guards have been coming out. Guards and do it all tweeners seem to be taking the NBA by storm, kind of like Luka did three days after his NBA debut. Remember I told you guys about that 10 point performance and all of the hate he got? Luka would drop 26. Nine days later, he would drop 31 against the Spurs. November 19th, he would notch his first triple double and now he's a walking one. In Luka's second season, he's drawing comparisons to one of the best players to ever play the game in Lebron James, who by the way is one of Luka's biggest inspirations and favorite players. But not only is Luka doing this, he's averaging 29.99 on grade efficiency. He's 21 years old, this is his second season. That's nearly a 30 point triple double. The Mavs space and pace system allows Luka to do just about anything he wants. You better be able to guard up one on one because if you don't, you're gonna be in trouble. The Mavs have shooters ready to knock down jumpers at any time. And while Carlisle doesn't love posting up, that doesn't mean you can't give Kristaps the ball to go get you a bucket when you need it. This team along with Kristaps have truly started to unlock their potential. When both Kristaps and Luka are hot, the Mavericks are nearly unbeatable. Many thought early in the season Kristaps wasn't involved enough and they thought his impact wasn't felt enough. Well you're looking at possibly the biggest defensive anchor on the Mavericks team. This duo hasn't even played a season together and they're only going to get better. At times during Mavericks games, I feel like Luka's playing a game of horse only featuring himself. I look forward to seeing what's next for Luka and the Mavericks. And if you were asleep, I guess it's time to wake up. Be sure to click the video on the screen right now guys, it's incredibly dope you won't want to miss it. Be sure to subscribe. I'm the Koop and I'm out.