By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
While Slovenian wunderkind Luka Doncic is projected to go as high as the #1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, it’s not exactly certain if he’ll leave Europe with the completion of the current campaign.
When asked if this is his last season in the continent, during an interview with “Super EuroLeague” online magazine, the 18-year-old player answered, “No, I can’t say that. Let’s see how this season will go. No one ever knows what the future holds.”
This isn’t exactly the first time that Doncic comments in such cryptic fashion when facing a question regarding his jump to the NBA. A bit before the launch of the new EuroLeague season, he said that he feels “better than anywhere else” with Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, Real head coach Pablo Laso has expressed his hope that he’ll be with the team next season and club president Florentino Perez has mentioned that they’ll at least try to work with the player towards this direction.
The young point-forward of the Madridistas is currently leading the EuroLeague in PIR (26.4 per game) and points (19.7) and says that the secret behind his superb performances is that he’s simply relishing the time he spends on the floor.
“I practice hard but the most important thing is to have fun. Personally, when I’m not enjoying it I play bad. I think that this is the key, for me and my teammates to have fun on the court.”
Real’s star also averages 6.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists while Real Madrid is 5-4, struggling with an ongoing injury plague and missing, among others, reigning EuroLeague MVP Sergio Llull. In light of these circumstances, Doncic has emerged as the leader of the squad and is pretty much completely fearless of the burden that comes with the part.
“It’s a pleasure to play in a club like Real Madrid,” he says.
Photo: FIBA