NBA Comparison: Toni Kukoc/Hedo Turkoglu

Strengths: Versatile all around guard/forward who can do just about everything on the court … Probably the most mature prospect that Europe has seen in years … His Basketball I.Q is off the charts … A natural born leader, excels under pressure, who takes and makes big shots … Not afraid of the big stage, since he has been the center of attention since he was 15 years old … He has been used as a point guard from young age and really knows how to control the tempo of the game … Looks like he will become a point forward in the future … Not very gifted athletically, but has some sneaky athleticim and length that helps him blow by opponents and make athletic finishes … Great size for a wing … Has really bulked up considerably the last few years and has lost some baby fat that he was carrying … Has great feel for the game … Very good ball handler, with a nice crossover and step back dribble on his repertoire… Nice hands that help him in all aspects of the game… Already a very good scorer, he can score in every way possible… When he gets hot is really difficult to stop him… Great shooting mechanics and good looking shooting form… His Pull-up game and shot of dribble are lethal… He is a threat on Spot Up and Catch and Shoot situations… Attacks closeouts and can either go all the way to the hop or stop and shoot… Knows his way around the screens and uses them excellent… Has the ability post-up smaller opponents and punish miss-matches with a variety of moves thanks to his good footwork… Drags bigs away from the basket on switches and tries to exploit any advantage on his favor… Can be effective without the ball in his hands… Good Free Throw shooter… Elite passing skills and court vision… He can pass from anywhere on the floor and everywhere on the floor since he is a really creative passer… Great passer on the move to the weakside, he can already make one hand passes… A true maestro in Pick and Roll situations as the ball handler, he is the dream of every rolling Big… After he receives a pick he can either find the rolling Big, pass to the weakside, go all the way to the basket, or shoot off the dribble… There isn’t a cover he hasn’t faced already, so he is really not surprised anymore against defenses… Great body control and balance on drives… He can penetrate from either side and finish to the basket with strong or finesse lay-ups and even some dunks when he finds room and jump of two feet… Excels in tranistion as a ball handler thanks to his amazing court vision, basketball I.Q and scoring ability… Very good rebounder for his position, especially on the defensive end… Adequate lateral quickness… Doesn’t back down on Defense and tries to make it difficult for his opponent to post him up… Smart help defender who knows where to stand, anticipating plays before happen…

Weaknesses: He can be considered magrinally average athlete by NBA standards … Not overly long, more of an average actually…  His first step is slow even for European standrards … Not a very good leaper of one foot, his good jumps come of two feet … Must continue working on his body … He lost some flexibility while he was bulking up … Can be really emotional at times and lose concentration for a few plays… He can depend too much to his instict at times … If he doesn’t have momentum it’s difficult for him to finish plays at the rim… He must improve in changing speeds and pace … His ball handling still needs some polishing, especially with his left hand … Has problems against aggressive ball pressure from smaller, faster opponents … The lack of explosiveness makes it really difficult for him to create his own shoot against great athletes with good wignspan … Isn’t always able to punish switches when he has a versatile Big against him, especially if there are no shooters around him … He has the tendency to over-dribble, trying to find his way around his defender, icing-out teammates momentarily … It’s a questionmark whether he will be able to create consistently at the next level on ISO situations … Finds it difficult to finish in traffic and against elite length … Finishing against contact might be an issue at the next level … Shooting selecion can become a little iffy occasionally with some off balance shoots and long floaters … Can fall in love with his pull-up game and settle too much against switches … Kind of streaky shooter for now … Incosistent 3-point shooter … Must have feet set to shoot well in Catch and Shoot situations … His off the ball game should still improve a little bit more … The fact that he can see angles that no one else can see leads to some extreme passes and, as a consequence, some turnovers… His assist/turnover ratio could be better … He could be more involved on the offensive boards … Doesn’t always box out and depends on instict and position to grab defensive rebounds … He is not always engaged on defense … He should raise his intensity on the defensive end … Doesn’t keep a low stance all the time when he is guarding a ball handler , which makes it easier for his opponent to blow by him … It’s a questionmark who he could guard at the next level, since he has problems against smaller, quicker opponents, but also against athletic wings … Not always physical enough when he is defending in the post … Has problems reading screens on the defensive end … Has been targetted on defense on Pick and Roll situations that force switches to exploit his defensive limitations … Must be more aggressive on defensive close outs …

Overall: Luka Doncic is a by all measures a prodigy … Europe has never seen anything like him … He has been playing at the highest level of European basketball since he was 16 years old and excelled … The way he handled this pressure the past few years has been amazing … He is a great scorer with an elite court vision, a Pick and Roll maestro who posseses rare versatility … Whether he will become a star at the NBA level though depends on the way he and his team will manage his athletic and defensive limitations …

Stefanos Makris 6/20/18

Strenghts: What’s most impressive about him is the maturity and the polish and completeness of his game at just 16 years of age, basically from all standpoints … As a 6-7 SG, he already has a solid body, ready to compete at the senior level, with a wide frame, quite developed from a muscular standpoint, both his upper and lower body … He has shown a remarkable amount of pro moves and amazing body control during his first season with the Real Madrid senior team … His game is already defined and complete, with the ability to create his own shot basically in any kind of situation: midrange game, layups, floater, three pointers are all an effective part of his offensive repertoire … Furthermore his court vision and ball handling skills are above average, with the ability to create for himself and his teammates in traffic often showing glimpses of rare talent … He often switches as the primary ball handler, where he can show his creativity and ability to attack the basket … Defensively he has quick hands and instincts in the passing lanes, with a great attitude and a blue collar style … Definitely one of the brightest prospects coming from Europe in a number of years …

Weaknesses:  His biggest flaw is his lack of quickness and lateral speed, which affects his effectiveness in 1 on 1 defense against more explosive opponents … Furthermore this also limits his offensive effectiveness in ISO situations when he has to rely on his body control and fakes to create the space for the shot or to draw contact … He also needs to work on shot consistency, especially his mechanics and foot positioning … Sometimes he lacks the killer instinct when facing weaker opponents …

Notes: Son of Saša Dončić, a former professional player. He’s having 5 pts 3 rbs 2 as of average in ACB with 14’ on the court thus far, and a season high of 15+6+4 against Bilbao. 4 points 3 rbs 2 assist in 13’ on the court in Euroleague, with a season high in a losing effort of 15+5 against CSKA Moscow. MVP of last Adidas Next Generation Tournament finals in Madrid where Real won the title. Still not clear for which national team he will play. MVP of the 2013 Mini Copa del Rey while playing for tournament winner Real Madrid …

David Bortoluzzi 1/31/16