Luka Doncic

[George Gervin]

I know this may be a little early, but Luka has been on a historic pace to open the season. Just a few of his key averages thus far:

- 19.0 ppg on 43% FG, 36% 3PM FG (on 6 attempts per game from distance), 50% effective FG, and on 56% True Shooting
- 6.7 rpg and 5.1 apg, which that assists number has steadily climbed through the past 12 games as he has been in charge of the offense more and more 
- 107.6 offensive and defensive ratings, with each one improving from October onward
- 49% FG when guarded with 4 feet or less of space (defined by NBA advanced stats as “tight” 2-4 ft and “very tight” 0-2 ft defense)
- 52% effective FG in the last 7 seconds of the shot clock, indicating a calm under pressure and high % as a 19 yr old rookie in the clutch 
- 53% FG from 0-9 ft, and 48% FG from 15-19 ft

I could add more stats that demonstrate the unique and great start he’s had, but I think one of the best measures for Luka is the eye test— below is an article from ESPN where some of Luka’s passing prowess is highlighted. He may be averaging just 5.1 apg, but he makes some passes out of the coffin corner, in the pocket, over the defense, and other situations that show an innate basketball IQ well beyond his 19 yrs of age. 

www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25626559/10-things-like-including-luka-lebron-dimes-nba

In addition to some of those highlights in the article, there are plenty of other moments— like the 11-0 run to close out Houston and win the duel with Harden, winning at GSW while drawing all the defensive attention— that show he’s no ordinary rookie.

I’m not going to advocate a big bump in his rating, but I do think some of his ratings could stand a bump based on what he’s shown thus far:

Current overall: 79
Proposed overall: 82

Ratings adjustments (current to proposed):

- Passing: 57 to 82
- Handle: 65 to 70
- Inside scoring: 60 to 75
- Offensive Awareness: 82 to 86
- Defensive rebounding: 52 to 60

More stats from Basketball Reference:

www.basketball-reference.com/players/d/doncilu01.html

[Charles Barkley]

I agree with all of this; none of what he is doing is surprising to me.

83

[Jared Montini]

83, he's a hall of gamer in the making. Pissed I got cucked in the Lottery

[Hanamichi Sakuragi]

82

[Jeremiah Hill]

Remember when everyone made fun of me for saying he's the best prospect since LBJ?

Hard 83

[Chauncey Billups]

Impressive write up. Although I do believe it's slightly too soon considering he's a rookie, it's hard to argue against these stats.

I think it'll be interesting to see, over the course of x amount of years, which players come out on top, and if the Phoenix Suns (as well as myself) made the mistake of drafting Ayton over Doncic. I have faith Ayton will reach his full potential, but for now, Doncic is reigning supreme for the rookies.

With that being said, I'll go with a conservative 82.

[Kevin Hollis]

83

[Ian Noble]

83

Last year we didn't respond to Ben Simmons / Donovan Mitchell's awesomeness quickly enough imho, Doncic's excellent play needs to be reflected in our ratings asap.

[Billy King]

Dec 29, 2018 6:38:09 GMT Jeremiah Hill said:

Remember when everyone made fun of me for saying he's the best prospect since LBJ?

Hard 83

I feel like he's proven by now that he's not having the best rookie year since LBJ, so...

82

[Mark Price]

83

[Shaquille O'Neal]

83

[Brian Scalabrine]

84

[Walt Frazier]

83

[Jeremiah Hill]

Dec 29, 2018 14:23:13 GMT Billy King said:

Dec 29, 2018 6:38:09 GMT Jeremiah Hill said:

Remember when everyone made fun of me for saying he's the best prospect since LBJ?

Hard 83

I feel like he's proven by now that he's not having the best rookie year since LBJ, so...

82

He's having the best rookie season since Jordan dude.

[Jeremiah Hill]

In fact, if you compare them. You'll see that Jordan had a better FG% and took way more shots but that's about it.

www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.fcgi?request=1&sum=0&player_id1_hint=Michael+Jordan&player_id1_select=Michael+Jordan&y1=1985&player_id1=jordami01&idx=players&player_id2_hint=Luka+Doncic&player_id2_select=Luka+Doncic&y2=2019&player_id2=doncilu01&idx=players&player_id3_hint=LeBron+James&player_id3_select=LeBron+James&y3=2004&player_id3=jamesle01&idx=players

[Jeremiah Hill]

LeBron and Jordan also played 40 minutes a game.

[Bryan Colangelo]

83, god he's good. Thank god I drafted him in my fantasy team

[Andrei Kirilenko]

Thread closed after 14 votes. New rating = 83