European NBA Prospect Rankings: Winter 2016

1. Luka Doncic, SG, Real Madrid

2018 Draft prospect

2016-2017 Stats: 8.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game

As good as Ntilikina could be in the NBA, he doesn’t come close to the potential Doncic has. Simply put, no player since Ricky Rubio has been at Doncic’s level in European play. At 17-years old, Doncic is starting ACB contests and taking over Euroleague games, to the point where Real Madrid is comfortable resting MVP candidate Sergio Llull and giving Doncic the keys.

Doncic is an advanced ball-handler at this stage, as he shows a comfort level as a pick-and-roll ball-handler that’s ahead of Ntilikina, Guduric, and even some players who are NBA rookies right now. Doncic isn’t overwhelmed by the speed of the game, and can hit advanced skip passes, or take the ball to the rim himself with a variety of ball-fakes and finishing moves. He’s also a growing outside shooter, hitting 42.0 percent of his 3-pointers for the season.

To make things even more enticing, the Slovenian prodigy looks like he’ll eventually be a strong defensive player as well. He has quick hands and good lateral agility, and his hops allow him to make the occasional impressive chase-down block. He also has great drive on this end, anticipating basic offensive sets and holding his own in post-ups against bigger opponents:

We’ve talked about potential and fit at the NBA level throughout these rankings. Doncic already looks like he could run an NBA-level pick-and-roll and help on the wing as a shooter, and he has the potential to develop even further as an apex scorer and defender. The best prospect in Europe looks like a future top-3 draft pick – and he has a year and a half to get better.