Tuesday night’s NBA Draft Lottery was a historic moment in the Phoenix Suns franchise history. After winning only 21 games this past season — their second-fewest wins in franchise history — the Suns were finally gifted the No. 1 overall pick for the first time in team history. They had the best odds to finally pull it off and the ping pong balls bounced in their favor. After years of constantly falling in the lottery, the Suns finally have the coveted number one pick. Now they just have to decide which player to use it on.
They shouldn’t have to debate for long, the obvious answer is Luka Doncic.
Doncic, a 19-year old playing for Real Madrid in the second-best basketball league in the world, is the next overseas star set to enter the NBA. Despite not even being old enough to drink in the United States, Doncic has been one of the best players on the best team in Europe, posting stat lines that other former European stars such as Kristaps Porzingis and Dirk Nowitzki couldn’t at his age. He’s a 6-foot-8 point guard with a tank-like frame and elite playmaking abilities. His pedigree is unmatched by his American peers.
In the 59 games Doncic has played for Real Madrid during the 2017-18 season, (EuroLeague and Liga ACB) he’s averaged 14.5 points (a team-high), 5.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists with a true shooting percentage of 60.1. His numbers dipped a bit as the strenuous season toiled along and a thigh injury in March spurted some of his production. But overall, his numbers are impressive. They’re impressive numbers for 10-year EuroLeague veterans. For a 19-year old to be doing it while also taking, and making, key shots down the stretches of close and important games, it’s unprecedented.
There isn’t an area on the court that Doncic can’t score from. He’s not the most athletically imposing prospect, but his physicality and frame allow him to get to his spots on demand. He can penetrate with ease, hit stepback jumpers, back his defender into the paint, all of it. He doesn’t even look 19 years old on the court.
Kids that young aren’t supposed to be as big as he is and they definitely aren’t supposed to have the same feel for the game that he does. He has excellent vision, which is only enhanced by his height and is an incredibly slippery passer. He has a similar feel to the game that Ben Simmons does as a young, tall, physical point guard.
Doncic has been named the EuroLeague Rising Star — given to EuroLeague players under the age of 24 — twice, joining Nikola Mirotic and Bogdan Bogdanovic as the only players to win the award more than once. He’s also been named Euroleague MVP of the Month and Liga ACB Player of the Month this season. He likely won’t even be able to attend the NBA Draft in June because he’ll still be leading his team in the Liga ACB playoffs. The only thing keeping him from being the guaranteed No. 1 overall pick is the fact that he didn’t play NCAA basketball.
Doncic would make an excellent fit in Phoenix next to budding superstar and high-level shooter Devin Booker for many reasons. The Suns have holes to fill at both the point guard and center positions and while Doncic is tall for a traditional point guard, he’s exactly what today’s NBA is looking for in a superstar guard. Next to Booker, the two will be able to create shots from anywhere on the court and hold a height advantage over most NBA backcourts.
He’s a once-a-generation type talent and a perfect fit for Phoenix.
The Suns recently hired former Utah Jazz assistant, Igor Kokoskov, as their new head coach. Kokoskov, a Serbian native, is the first NBA head coach born outside of North America. He was also Doncic’s head coach during the Slovenian National Team’s title run in 2017 as they captured their first EuroBasket Championship. Doncic (along with Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic) was the leader of the team and there is no denying the international connection between head coach and potential draftee.
While the Suns didn’t hire Kokoskov solely so they could transition Doncic into a more familiar situation, it’s fair to say that concept is at least something the front office took into consideration when making the hire. Kokoskov has been a highly regarded assistant in the NBA and within the Jazz organization for some time now and has earned his position to coach an NBA team; it just helps that the potential No. 1 pick has been under his wing in high stakes situations before.
While nobody can say for sure who the Suns will take, especially with how loaded this year’s draft class is, Doncic will surely be one of their top two or three prospects. DeAndre Ayton from Arizona will be a tempting choice. He’s a big man built for the modern NBA with a slender frame, the ability to shoot from the perimeter, elite shot-blocking qualities and is also a capable ball-handler. If Ayton doesn’t go first to the Suns, it’s hard to see him falling past the Sacramento Kings at No. 2.
Even if the Suns went with someone like Ayton or even a player such as Jaren Jackson Jr. or Marvin Bagley III, odds are high that they still drafted a potential NBA All-Star. But this is lining up all too well for Phoenix. They have an opportunity to bring in a franchise-changing player who has quality experience with their new rookie head coach.
Pairing Doncic with Booker along with Josh Jackson, Dragan Bender and Marqueese Chriss is an impressive core moving forward. The improving development of Jackson throughout the season was encouraging to see and Chriss even showed signs of development as the season went on. There is a foundation set in place for Phoenix to get this rebuild running at full speed and adding Doncic would be the icing on the cake.
