Anyone who likes basketball cannot ignore Luka Doncic. The Slovenian star shows two faces at the European Basketball Championship before the game against Germany. On Tuesday (8.30 p.m.) the Slovenians will play Germany in the group stage of the European Championship. The winner has a good starting position for the next round.
In the USA everyone agrees: it’s Luka Doncic! The 23-year-old Slovenian is the one who has the perfect potential to succeed Dirk Nowitzki as a brilliant point guard with the Dallas Mavericks.
As the leader of the Mavericks, Doncic has already taken on the role of his pal Nowitzki, both of whom played side by side for the Texans for a year. Like his Slovenian teammate Nikola Jokic, the guard from Ljubljana is not a typical athlete, but a gifted thrower with a great eye.
Brilliant in the game, exhausting for the referees
At the beginning of 2021, Doncic overtook the great Michael Jordan with his 29th triple-double, and he is now tenth in the all-time list of the best – at the age of 23.
But if you take a closer look – especially these days at the European Championships in Germany – you will also recognize Doncic’s weaknesses: He discusses too much with the referees, collects a number of technical fouls. In the surprising 93:97 defeat of the Slovenians against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Doncic was less conspicuous for his 16 points than for his constant griping and negative body language.
Unprofessional behavior?
And: He is said to be quite unprofessional. Before the World Cup qualifier against Germany, which took place shortly before the start of the European Championship, some journalists saw him with cigarettes and coke in the team hotel. The Slovenians promptly conceded an obvious 71:90 defeat.
Record hunt at a young age
Has the young Slovenian developed airs and graces? It wouldn’t be surprising, because the basketball scene is practically at his feet worldwide. As a teenager, he switched to the Real Madrid youth team at an early age, and made his debut in the first team there at the age of 16.
Record after record followed, then in 2018 the jump: after winning the EuroLeague with Real Madrid, he was selected in the NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks and immediately transferred to the Dallas Mavericks. Since then, attempts have been made to build a new top team around the Slovenian.
Not trained? “He’s in Luka form”
In the USA, however, the Slovenian has already come under criticism. Dallas coach Jason Kidd considers the discussions about the supposedly not fully trained Slovenian star Luka Doncic to be exaggerated. “There are just different body types. I think Luka is in Luka form”Kidd said in a Sky interview about Doncic, who plays under him with the Mavericks. “Of course we sometimes want more, but I think Luka is perfect the way he is”Kidd said of the point guard.
Doncic – a “finished project”
When Dirk Nowitzki was recently asked whether he could imagine taking on something like a mentor role for Doncic, the German basketball hero replied: “It doesn’t need that much anymore. It’s incredible, a finished project.”
And the German national coach Gordon Herbert also raved about his superstar before the EM duel with defending champion Slovenia. “Doncic is someone you would pay to see. I don’t know if I’d rather watch Leon Draisaitl play hockey or watch him play basketball, but that’s a discussion for another day.”said the coach from ice hockey crazy Canada on Monday.