The anticipation of the Marvin Bagley III vs. Luka Doncic faceoff on Dec. 16 was quickly halted by a knee injury to Bagley which set all watchful eyes on Doncic. An eerily glimpse of "what could have been."
The 19-year-old Doncic was passed on by the Kings in the 2018 NBA Draft in which the team decided to take a chance on Bagley. The Slovenian guard was taken third overall by the Atlanta Hawks before he was traded.
Doncic is doing very well this season averaging 19 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5 assists per game with the Dallas Mavericks.
There's also this:
Luka Doncic scored his 500th point last night. He now has 514 for his career, as well as 188 rebounds and 134 assists
He's the second player since 1983 to reach 500/150/100 by the 28th game of his NBA career
The first was LeBron https://t.co/DPRDJRS0wS pic.twitter.com/2954AVscbW— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) December 19, 2018
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LeBron James? That's not bad company.
While both the Kings and the Suns could feel that missing out on Doncic was something that could weigh on them, Chiney Ogwumike, on First Take, felt he is the perfect fit in a Mavs uniform:
"His best fit is actually in Dallas."
- @Chiney321 on Luka Doncic pic.twitter.com/FwEkfw1CLP— First Take (@FirstTake) December 27, 2018
It's a great way of looking at it, especially for a guy who is athletic, but in ways we don't know of -- a "fast, slow guy," if you will. Which makes him unique.
[RELATED: Dave Joerger clarifies Doncic comment]
His certain way of moving is what made him stick out during the draft -- especially to an NBA executive who spoke to NBC Sports California's own James Ham. The same exec said Doncic "may not have been a great fit with the Kings." Especially with De'Aaron Fox on the roster -- just like what Ogwumike said.
Nevertheless, whatever team landed the phenom was going to be a winner, and the same goes for the Kings, who have Bagley sporting a Sacramento jersey.
