2018 NBA Mock Draft: Mohamed Bamba could be the Suns’ last building block

I had an interesting discussion on Twitter about Doncic based on last week’s mock draft, in which I re-told a story that Bill Simmons shared about Doncic and the Rockets’ draft models. Basically, Doncic’s numbers rendered Houston’s algorithms useless.

He has the potential to be that good, and is already performing above any reasonable expectation as a 18-year-old professional in Spain. However, the discussion I had on Twitter centered around Doncic’s ability to improve upon his international performance once he comes to the NBA. This has historically been a problem for draft picks like Doncic, including Ricky Rubio and Nikola Mirotic.

Several people brought up indicators that inspire optimism about Doncic’s ability to get better in America. First of all, his agent is Bill Duffy, a prolific sports representative who has worked with dozens of NBA stars, including Steve Nash. Doncic also reportedly has trained in the United States during the offseason at P3 Sports Science in Santa Barbara. He seems to be doing many of the right things.

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We’ve never had a true international import become a massive superstar in the league. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dirk Nowitzki and Hakeem Olajuwon have come closest, but none of them quite fits the criteria Doncic could establish. I trust the Hawks more than a lot of teams to nudge Doncic toward his peak.