The Great Luka Doncic Debate

Actually, there’s not much of a debate…the kid’s a stud.

But is Luka Doncic a sure-fire top 3 pick in the 2018 draft, as many people think? The answer is clearly no.

There are a lot of unknowns with him, plus there’s a boatload of talent in next year’s draft, so the competition will be fierce. If some of the college Freshmen hit their potential then we could see Luca slide a bit on draft day.

Past Euro guards have had good but not great success in the NBA, with some busts as well. But before I go all Mario Hezonja comp on you, let me say this. I think Luca is the best Euro prospect since Kristaps and will likely be a dynamic player in the NBA. He’s got more vision than a 40 day fast in the desert and he’s an absolute natural on the court. He’s like a 6-8 version of Rubio, with a better shot. He’s good!

So good that he could go #1 overall next year… or #2 behind Michael Porter Jr., the 6-10 small forward from Missouri who has elite offensive skills…

…or he could go #3 behind DeAndre Ayton who, up until recently was considered the #1 guy in this class. If Ayton dominates as a freshman at Arizona he’ll be in that top 2 conversation…

…or Luka could go #4 behind Mo Bamba, the lengthy Longhorn. Bamba has the type of coordination

and agility that you just don’t see in 7-foot players. He’s got much better hands than most shot-blocking bigs (think Nerlens) and he changes ends like a guard…

…or Luka could get drafted #5 behind Jaren Jackson who is emerging as an elite prospect. Still 17 years old, Jackson has shown a rate of improvement and development that already warrants top 5 consideration and after a year with Izzo…

And there are other Freshmen in this class that have top 5 potential like Kevin Knox and Hamidou Diallo of Kentucky, Collin Sexton of Alabama and Sophomore Robert Williams of Texas A&M.

Alls I’m saying is keep an open mind. Luka Doncic is a great player but he’s not alone. There are a handful of big time talents in the 2018 draft class and the competition at the top will be fierce.

Luka is a basketball prodigy and he has every right to be in the conversation for #1 overall. But the top of the 2018 draft class is stacked with talent and all of these guys are vying for the top spots.

I wish every day was draft day but we’ll just have to wait until next June to see how this all plays out.

Here’s the full 2018 NBA Mock Draft.

by NBA Draft Room