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2018 NBA Draft: 5 best fits for Luka Doncic

By Brandon Jefferson

Real Madrid Luka Doncic during Liga Endesa Finals match (1st game) between Real Madrid and Kirolbet Baskonia at Wizink Center in Madrid, Spain. June 13, 2018. (Photo by COOLMedia/Peter Sabok/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Real Madrid Luka Doncic during Liga Endesa Finals match (1st game) between Real Madrid and Kirolbet Baskonia at Wizink Center in Madrid, Spain. June 13, 2018. (Photo by COOLMedia/Peter Sabok/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, IL – MAY 15: Minority Owner and Director of Player Support, Elliot Perry represents the Memphis Grizzlies during the NBA Draft Lottery on May 15, 2018 at The Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – MAY 15: Minority Owner and Director of Player Support, Elliot Perry represents the Memphis Grizzlies during the NBA Draft Lottery on May 15, 2018 at The Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Memphis Grizzlies (No. 4 overall)

To wrap up this article, we’ve finally found a team that is the perfect fit for Luka Doncic. The Memphis Grizzlies last selected in the top half of an NBA draft they: a) were still in Vancouver, and b) they ended up with Shane Battier (sixth overall) and Pau Gasol (third overall, acquired via trade). The Grizzlies found their second life as a relevant NBA team in the middle of the Grit-N-Grind era that saw them nearly knock off some of the most talented teams in the West during the playoffs.

With Grit-N-Grind stalwarts Zach Randolph and Tony “The Grindfather” Allen no longer on the team, some of the zest has worn off. However, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley Jr. still remain and those two are enough to make ownership believe that Memphis is a piece away from being playoff contenders once again. The easiest path back to the postseason is selecting Doncic in the 2018 NBA Draft. Doncic and Conley Jr. can take turns operating on and off the ball and bringing in a secondary ball handler of Doncic’s caliber can help Conley Jr. remain healthy over the course of a full 82-game schedule plus the playoffs.

Next year, Doncic immediately fills the gap left on this roster by the oft-injured Chandler Parsons. Gasol and Conley Jr. are solid enough to carry the load while Doncic gets his feet wet, and by the time they are at the twilights of their respective careers Doncic would be just entering his prime and he could carry the team on his back with the other two supplementing him.

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Gasol and Conley Jr. are talented enough that this is very likely one of the last times in the next few seasons that the Grizzlies get to draft this high — they also owe the Boston Celtics their 2021 first round pick. Figuring out a way to capitalize on this opportunity would go a long way to helping Memphis reaffirm themselves in the Western Conference. Doncic’s fit with Memphis is akin to Cinderella and her glass slipper. Will the Grizzlies figure that out before the clock strikes midnight (or whatever time they are set to go on the clock Thursday night)?

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