The NBA expected to have the top European talent in its pool of players in the 2018 NBA Draft. That now appears to be official.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Shams Charania, Real Madrid star Luka Doncic has filed paperwork to enter the NBA Draft. Doncic, 19, has been playing in the Euroleague since 2015 and with Real Madrid since 2014.
The 6’7” guard/forward is currently leading Real Madrid in the Euroleague playoffs with per game averages of 14.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists. He was given the ACB Best Young Player Award and Euroleague Rising Stars trophy in 2016-2017. Doncic also lead Slovenia to a gold medal in the 2017 Euro Basket Tournament.
Hype for Luka Doncic is growing, and will continue to grow, before the NBA Draft in June. An NBA scout has already said that Doncic is “leap years above” other prospects in the upcoming draft. That being said, hype has shown to be a difficult level to live up to.
The Slovenian has long been rumored to make a jump to the NBA sooner or later. Doncic becomes the newest international player to be considered a top prospect, a growing trend in the NBA.
