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NBA: 30 greatest international players in league history

By Daniel Lubofsky

SAN ANTONIO - MAY 09: Guard Steve Nash #13 of the Phoenix Suns dribbles the ball past Tony Parker #9 of the San Antonio Spurs in Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2010 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center on May 9, 2010 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
SAN ANTONIO - MAY 09: Guard Steve Nash #13 of the Phoenix Suns dribbles the ball past Tony Parker #9 of the San Antonio Spurs in Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2010 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center on May 9, 2010 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Greatest international NBA players of all time: 26. Luka Doncic

After winning EuroLeague MVP honors at just 18 years old, we had a pretty good sense that Luka Doncic would be able to immediately contribute upon arriving in the NBA. What nobody saw coming, however, was the absurdly elite levels Doncic’s productivity would reach just two years into his NBA tenure.

By averaging 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game, Doncic became just the fifth rookie to ever exceed averages of 20-5-5. He dazzled with an ahead-of-his-time skill set polished against grown men while his draft classmates battled amongst each other and was a near-unanimous choice for Rookie of the Year honors.

There’s a natural progression every sophomore takes, but Luka, just as he did as a rookie, made sure to enter rarified air. He upped his numbers to 28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 8.8 assists per game. After producing eight triples doubles in his first season — impressive in its own right — he racked up 17 the following season, guiding his Dallas Mavericks to a playoff berth much earlier than expected.

The rigors of playoff basketball were supposed to humble the young phenom, especially when considering the matchup against two of the game’s premier wing defenders in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George of the LA Clippers. Doncic just kept on ascending, averaging 31.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game in his very first taste of the postseason. He helped Dallas steal two games from the Clippers, including a virtuoso 43-point, 17-rebound, 13-assist masterpiece in Game 4, topped off by a game-winning step-back three in overtime.

It is not an exaggeration to believe that no player with a similar mix of youth and NBA inexperience has performed at the levels Doncic has through just two seasons. Not even 22-years-old, he’s already an All-Star and All-NBA First Teamer. He has multiple 40-point playoff performances and has already accumulated enough triple-doubles to place him among the top-15 all-time.

This has been the NBA’s introduction to Luka Doncic. Lord help the rest of the league when the main course arrives.