Quote:
Originally Posted by Underdog
Doncic is playing the same 15 teams over & over -- the talent in Europe is concentrated as hell... And he's beating guys who couldn't stick or get into the NBA 5-10 years ago and still can't. Is winning against Nick Calathes, Rudy Fernandez, and Roddy Beaubois supposed to impress me? These Euros washed out in the first place because their game doesn't translate to the NBA as well as NCAA... How many prospective NBA draftees is Doncic beating each night? I bet none of those teams are as stacked with future NBA players as Duke, Villanova, Michigan State, Arizona, Kentucky, etc... The top-end talent in the NCAA is heads & shoulders above EuroLeague.
And that's my problem with Doncic -- once you look past the narrative that he's "dominating the second-best league in the world" the tape isn't as impressive as the hype... Sure, the highlights are pretty, but the kid's game isn't as complete as a lot of other players at the top of the draft. Doncic takes a lot of plays off, especially when the ball isn't in his hands. He certainly doesn't display the same energy as Bagley or Jackson, nor is he as physically gifted as Ayton, Bamba, Young, or a healthy Porter, nor is his IQ as high as Bridges... He's an excellent player, but putting him on a pedestal because of what he's done in Europe seems misguided.
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The difference in the NCAA is you play a lot more games against weak talent than the "top end" talent. Sure if the top 20 players played each other 10+ times a year you might be able to make this argument. They don't. And are you really so tainted against the EURO league that you would believe those guys wouldn't dominate 99.95% of NCAA teams?
No one is saying Euro is close to the NBA. We are simply saying it is a better indicator than 99% of the NCAA. They might not of been able to stick around in the NBA. But these guys were VERY good in the NCAA and top prospects at one time.