By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic believes that his former Real Madrid teammate Facu Campazzo has what it takes to make the jump to the NBA.
“I’m glad he comes here. He deserves to be in the NBA and I hope he succeeds [making the NBA],” Doncic said in a zoom call following the Mavs‘ loss to the Houston Rockets, when asked if he’s followed the rumors and reports on Campazzo leaving Real Madrid for the NBA.
Among the teams that have been reported to have shown interest in acquiring Campazzo are Doncic’s Mavericks. The Argentinian point guard’s NBA buyout clause on his contract with Real Madrid is 6 million and the player has to pay 5.275 million out of that sum to be able to sign with an NBA club.
Campazzo and Doncic played together on Real Madrid in 2017-2018, which was the Slovenian player’s last season before signing with the Mavericks. They often shared the court, creating a formidable and productive backcourt duo, and were sometimes both in the starting lineup of the “Blancos.” Real went on to win both the 2018 EuroLeague and Spanish ACB League.
Following Doncic’s departure, Campazzo assumed a bigger role with the team and proceeded to be established as one of the most elite guards outside the NBA. In 2019-2020, he averaged 9.9 points, 7.1 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 23:53 minutes over 28 EuroLeague games before the season’s cancelation.
Photo: Real Madrid