2018 NBA Prospect Report Part 4: Luka Doncic
Analyzing Fit
Luka Doncic fits on every team in the NBA. Whether that team already has a ball-handling star or if they are starting from scratch, Doncic can star or slide into a role in at least three positions.
The Orlando Magic are no different. This franchise has been starved for a playmaker of his caliber for years. And the team desperately needs more floor spacing. Doncic is the kind of player that can elevate a team in multiple ways. The Magic have strong play finishers and defenders already. Adding an elite, versatile initiator to grow alongside Aaron Gordon and Jonathan Isaac would be a cheat code.
Admittedly, from the prospect’s perspective, the Magic are not a perfect fit for almost anyone. The long-term support pieces past Jonathan Isaac and Aaron Gordon are largely not in place, and the ones that are are less than ideal.
Frank Vogel’s tepid offensive scheme also does not help, as its dull simplicity and lack of dummy actions or weakside movement rarely puts players into advantageous situations.
He would be most successful on a team running a scheme with strong motion elements like what he has experienced in Europe, like the Boston Celtics, perhaps with a second ball handler and strong pick-and-roll support pieces (i.e. a decent screen setter or rim-runner and spot-up shooters).
The Magic cannot say they are the ideal situation for his immediate productivity. But if anyone has the skill and creativity to work around these issues, it is Doncic.
They may not be rim-runners in the traditional sense. But a frontcourt of Gordon and Isaac provides defensive versatility to support Doncic, some spot-up ability and varying degrees of finishing ability at the rim.
Throwing Khem Birch in the mix as a more traditional center option gives the team another strong finisher at the rim with plus defensive versatility for his position. That sounds promising, but the roster outside of that bears more questions than answers.
Next: Uncertain summer guided Orlando Magic at trade deadline
As the Magic continue to build, adding a dynamic initiator with positional versatility is the perfect cornerstone. Only time will tell if they find themselves in position to draft the world’s best player likely to declare for 2018.