Before joining the NBA in 2018, Luka Doncic didn’t play collegiate hoops because he was too busy winning titles with Real Madrid in Europe. Doncic, however, stated to Overtime that he would have attended the University of Arizona if he had traveled to the United States to play collegiate ball.
“Arizona,” stated Doncic. “They say it’s good there.”
Doncic would have made Arizona a very desirable purchase. He would have paired up with Deandre Ayton, the top choice of the 2018 NBA Draft, if he had made the decision to go in 2017.
Due in large part to doubts about his ability to succeed in the NBA as he did in Europe, Doncic was selected third in that round. The Slovenian would have undoubtedly been selected first overall if he had been a player for Arizona, in my opinion, and would have disregarded any doubts.
The Dallas Mavericks ought to give thanks to their lucky stars for Doncic’s direct entry into the NBA from Real Madrid. This indicated that the Atlanta Hawks were prepared to deal him to the Mavericks in exchange for the sixth selection and a future first-round pick, in addition to the fact that the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns passed on him.
Doncic’s move to Arizona would have undoubtedly changed the course of recent NBA history. Resuming the conversation about the college the 25-year-old would have attended, Jayson Tatum, Paolo Banchero, and Zion Williamson were also questioned about their predictions.
In the meanwhile, Banchero traveled with Duke University, the college he attended. Additionally, he disclosed that one of previous head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s favorite players is Doncic. Banchero was even advised by Krzyzewski throughout his recruitment process to emulate the Mavericks star by watching his games.
Regarding Tatum, he selected Arizona, the same choice as Doncic. As they say, “Great minds think alike,” and in this case, these two certainly did.
Gilbert Arenas Thinks Luka Doncic Will Be The No. 1 MVP Candidate In 2024-25
Gilbert Arenas thinks Doncic will be at the top of the MVP standings in 2025. Doncic has placed in the top five in the MVP vote in two of the previous three years. Doncic is expected to average a triple-double and earn MVP next season, according to Arenas.
“I don’t want to put this type of pressure on him,” Arenas replied. “If he doesn’t average a triple-double, I’d be shocked. With your current lineup, you were averaging that many assists a game. Now that you have a guy who can catch and shoot, some of those assists will come easily. Your average ought to be a triple-double. And he will most likely be the front-runner for MVP. He’s going to average a triple-double, which is something that hasn’t been done in a few years.”
Doncic averaged 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.5 blocks a game in the previous campaign, so Arenas’ projection that he would average a triple-double for the whole campaign isn’t out of the question. However, in order for the five-time All-Star to earn MVP, he will need to guarantee that the Mavericks are among the top two seeds in the West, which might be challenging given how competitive the conference is.
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