NBA Rookie Rankings: Luka Doncic and Jaren Jackson are pulling away
1. Luka Doncic
Any doubts about the Slovenian’s ability to successfully translate to the NBA have been emphatically silenced. Doncic is already a star for Dallas. The only logical question now is just how good he can become in the near future.
He is absolutely running the show for Rick Carlisle’s offense. The fact that such a savvy coach chose to hand over his offense to a rookie from day one should have been a real clue for fans as to just how talented Doncic really is.
He makes passes on the court that most of his peers in the league wouldn’t dare attempt. His assist rate is only going to increase when the Mavericks are able to surround him with guys that better compliment his skills. Dennis Smith, in particular, is an awkward fit next to Doncic. Don’t be surprised if he’s moved to secure a pure shooter in the offseason.
Speaking of shooting, that’s the one area Doncic needs to improve. He hasn’t been bad, but he’s still not scoring at an overly efficient rate. His effective field goal percentage of 52.3 isn’t bad for a player who’s asked to create so much of his team’s offense, but moving it up a notch or two could take him from good player to superstar.
The bottom line is that Doncic is the best rookie in this class by a pretty fair margin at the moment. Jackson might give him a run for his money over the long haul, but Doncic is going to be a star in the NBA for a long time.