Phoenix Suns: 5 options for pick No. 1 in 2018 NBA Draft

1. Luka Doncic, G — Real Madrid

To be fair to Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic isn’t a lockdown defender by any means either. He’s not as lost on that end as the U of A product often was, but there are concerns about his lateral quickness, particularly when paired with Devin Booker in the same backcourt.

That’s another point of contention: As a 6’8″ wing, is Wonder Boy capable of playing the 1 in the NBA? Because if not, his potential fit is suspect with Booker at the 2, Josh Jackson and T.J. Warren at the 3, and wings like Troy Daniels and Davon Reed still on the roster.

However, make no mistake about it: Luka Doncic is not only the most productive and accomplished foreign prospect the draft has ever seen, but he’s arguably already the best player in the second-best basketball league in the world. Yes, Doncic routinely plays against competition superior to that of the NCAA, and he’d be a dream fit alongside Booker.

The reason? Booker and Doncic are both exceptional playmaking wings. Book thrived in pick-and-roll scenarios last year and also managed to up his assist percentage to a career-high 24.4 percent, per Basketball-Reference. Add a visionary passer and playmaker like Doncic into the mix and suddenly the Suns have a dynamic backcourt capable of making life easier for each other.

The connection to head coach Igor Kokoskov is not the reason the Suns should draft Doncic; they should take whoever they believe to be the best prospect.

However, there’s no question his familiarity with Wonder Boy gives the Suns a leg up on the competition in knowing Doncic’s game inside and out. If there are significant flaws in his game, they’ll know. If he’s capable of living up to the immense hype, they’ll know that too.

Doncic can create separation for his own shot, but he’s a master manipulator of defenses with his passing as well, particularly out of the pick-and-roll. His instincts and basketball I.Q. are exemplary on both ends of the floor, he plays with maturity and he’s a physical defender and strong rebounder for his position.

Basically, he’s a like lesser hybrid of Ben Simmons and James Harden right now thanks to his step-back abilities, court intellect, ball-handling and playmaking despite his 6’8″ frame and a lack of explosive athleticism.

Kokoskov put Doncic in plenty of situations to be successful during their time winning gold at EuroBasket 2017 with Team Slovenia, and imagining what he could do with him and Booker sharing the floor is a prospect worth salivating over — especially given the coach’s offensive sets being grounded in misdirection and player movement designed to generate easy looks.

Just think about how hard Booker had to work for his points. Now think about how nice it’d be to have another shot-creator who can make plays for Booker off the dribble, set him up for spot-up opportunities and find a streaking Josh Jackson in transition. The Suns would lack a primary ball-handler/passer, but would have three very capable ones on the wing in Doncic, Booker and Jackson.

Doncic’s 14.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game in EuroLeague play don’t leap off the page, and his 31.0 percent 3-point shooting isn’t great either. However, Wonder Boy is putting up those numbers in just 24.9 minutes per game, which translates to 21.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists per 36 minutes.

A better shooter than the numbers indicate, Doncic’s dip in 3-point percentage is due to the wall he’s hit in recent months more so than being a realistic indicator of his shooting touch. The concerns over his defense and athleticism have been overexaggerated too.

The biggest concern, even with Kokoskov’s familiarity with Doncic and his basketball mind, would be a lack of floor-spacing around him and Booker. Going from a successful EuroLeague team to the worst team in the NBA last year would be an adjustment, especially for someone who plays with as much passion as this 19-year-old. It’s a very good fit, but it won’t be perfect right off the bat.

However, this established teenager is an MVP candidate in the second-best league in the world. Any comparisons to Darko Milicic or other failed NBA prospects from overseas either amounts to laziness, ignorance or outright xenophobia.

It’s easy to prefer the local product fans get to see on a nightly basis, in an NCAA setting they’re more comfortable with. But for those doing their homework and actually watching what Luka Doncic is doing for Real Madrid (even as he’s slowed down recently after hitting a wall thanks to 18 straight months of basketball with no break), there’s no question this is a legitimate debate.

Drafting Doncic also pushes Phoenix closer to making a max offer to restricted free agent Clint Capela, a path that might be preferable to drafting Ayton and having to search for a dynamic point guard at perhaps the league’s most important position.

The Houston Rockets would probably match such an offer, but forcing their hands — or getting them to overplay theirs if they go for someone like LeBron James or Paul George and run out of cap space — could still pay off.

Either way, the Suns should be thrilled whether they wind up with Ayton or Doncic. Both address positions of need, both make life easier for Booker, both represent great stories for the Suns and both project to be superb NBA players.

Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft - Doncic still No. 1 in post-lottery edition

However, at this time, the greatest foreign draft prospect the NBA has ever seen gets the edge for his potential fit with Booker and Kokoskov, as well as being perhaps the most NBA-ready prospect with one of the highest ceilings in this draft class.