Is Luka Doncic the right guy for the NY Knicks?
I can hear you screaming at your screen.
“How in the world is there anyone ranked higher than a 22-year-old perennial MVP contender?”
It’s a great question. There is no denying Doncic’s impact on the game.
Looking at some of the same data we considered when looking at Gilgeous-Alexander, it’s easy to see why Doncic is so highly valued.
He is second on the list of drives per game from the previous slide, but he is a more effective finisher than Gilgeous-Alexander at the rim and in the short mid-range, per Cleaning the Glass.
His passing stats from NBA.com read like a player who lives to get others involved. He is in the top six in assists, potential assists, and adjusted assists despite making fewer passes than any other player in the top six.
He’s a decent three-point shooter, though his corner-three percentage is kind of inflating that number.
Doncic checks all the boxes from a basketball fit perspective. He’s the level of talent that you even consider changing the boxes once you acquire him.
The only drawback here is the likelihood of a Doncic trade happening.
It would not surprise me at all to hear him request a trade in the next few years, nor would it surprise me if the Knicks are on his shortlist when that happens.
I just cannot for the life of me imagine Mark Cuban setting aside his ego to trade him, especially to the Knicks.
If Doncic becomes a realistic option, Leon Rose should pounce on it.
Unless the next name is available at the same time.