Among the 2018 NBA Draft hopefuls, Luka Doncic was arguably the most accomplished prospect then. He was already an established star, winning a EuroLeague championship and MVP before heading to American soil.
While some folks in the NBA world did not know him at the time, Doncic's draft classmates seemed to have already heard plenty about him. Jaren Jackson Jr. recently shared that the Slovenian genius was like a myth to his peers.
Luka's advantage
At 16 years old, Doncic had already begun his professional career, suiting up for Real Madrid in the Liga ACB. It only took him a year to become a regular member of the organization's senior team.
While Luka didn't get to contribute that much in his rookie campaign, he gradually secured more playing time as time went by. By the 2017-18 season, he had transformed into a full-fledged star despite playing against tough competition.
Doncic secured several records in his final season with Real Madrid, including being the youngest ever to win various MVP and Player of the Month awards. So, he already had the upper hand against his fellow 2018 draftees whose preparation for the Association involved AAU circuits and the NCAA, where they competed against other college opponents.
Interestingly, the teams with the No. 1 and 2 picks didn't think highly enough of "Luka Magic" to take him off the board that early. The Phoenix Suns already had their sights set on Deandre Ayton before draft night. Meanwhile, the Sacramento Kings inexplicably snubbed Doncic even though their general manager then was European legend Vlade Divac, who supposedly watched the prospect grow up .
Related: "You'd see more Jordans and Birds" - PJ Brown thought NBA players would have been better if they had adopted the European approach
Luka falling to the right team
However, the five-time All-Star should be thanking his lucky stars for landing on a squad that believed in him from the very start.
The Dallas Mavericks zeroed in on him early, even trading up to the No. 3 spot to make sure he didn't end up elsewhere. For their trouble, the Mavs gave up the fifth pick and a 2019 first-rounder, which the Atlanta Hawks used on Cam Reddish.
It didn't matter for Dallas that other general managers thought that Ayton and Jackson Jr. would have a better career than Doncic.
Fast forward to today, Luka has arguably been better than any of the players he shared the stage with during the 2018 draft. Only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, chosen 11th overall, has a case as being on the same level as the five-time All-NBA First-Team selection.
Related: Rod Strickland breaks down the difference between young US and European players: "Europeans just wanted to hoop"
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