By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Luka Doncic was having an MVP-caliber season before the NBA suspended all action on March 11 and his Dallas Mavericks were en route to a playoffs return for the first time since 2016. The Slovenian player has been establishing himself as a franchise-leading figure and NBA executives definitely consider him as such.
In a survey that ESPN conducted, 20 members of NBA clubs, ranging from coaches to scouts and front office executives, ranked the four most prominent young players – Doncic, Trae Young, Zion Williamson and Ja Morant – of the league based on which one they’d build around.
Doncic was by far the favorite in the voting, earning 17 of 20 votes for the first place. Per ESPN:
| 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Doncic | 17 | 3 | – | – | 77 |
| Zion Williamson | 1 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 52 |
| Ja Morant | 2 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 47 |
| Trae Young | – | – | 4 | 16 | 24 |
“Luka has size and elite playmaking and shooting right this second. He impacts winning. I believe his game is not only sustainable, but has the ability to continue to get better,” an executive of a Western Conference team said.
Doncic was averaging 28.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists in his sophomore season prior to the league’s suspension.