By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
Zalgiris Kaunas head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius has had all the experience a player can hope for. He played in the NBA, won the EuroLeague four times, played all across Europe but before all that he was also a part of Maryland University.
From his point of view, the new Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic is vastly underestimated by his fellow draftees: “The guys from college have no idea what they’re talking about and what Luka can do.”
And he believes none of them would be able to accomplish what he did in EuroLeague, not even close:
“It’s not a matter of Slovenian bias, perhaps European, but it is impossible for anyone else to do the same things in Euroleague that Luka did. Of course, the experience was very helpful to him since he played for three or four years at that level, so it wasn’t new to him. He was accustomed to it. However, there is no way these guys would accomplish what he did. It’s not possible. I played in college, Euroleague, practically everywhere, and I know that Euroleague is really a great competition. It’s really demanding and for a young guy to it in such a big club is incredible. He didn’t play for a smaller team, where he would get all the balls, all the responsibility and then have good numbers. No, he played in a system, in a very strong team and he led them to victory.”, Jasikevicius told Slovenian RTV.
In his opinion, Doncic has all the necessary qualities to become a great but there is still a long way to go and many have stumbled on that path: “I think Luka has everything he needs to become a great player. No doubt about it, but there were many players who had everything but failed. What separates him from the rest, is the way he exceptionally reads the game, abnormally for his age. He sees things that can’t be learned or a 30-year-old veteran can’t do. But to him, it’s all natural.”
As many did in his generation, Jasikevicius also watched a great deal of footage and learned everything he could from Croatian legend Drazen Petrovic, and he admits there are many similarities between him and Luka:
“Drazen and Luka can be compared in some way. Luka is taller but Drazen was a more prominent shooter. They are from different eras but they both have similar qualities and are similarly talented. Both can reach the basket easy, shoot from the distance, creativity… Some similarities are certain, and in particular, both really stand out at that age. It will be interesting to see how will Doncic’s career continue in the US.”