Dirk praises Doncic: ‘Couldn’t believe what I saw’

10:02 am | September 12, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:

1:41 PM ET

ESPN News Services

Dirk Nowitzki, measuring his words as to not put undue pressure on Luka Doncic, says the Dallas Mavericks‘ rookie guard is in many ways a better player than he was when he entered the league 20 years ago.

The EuroLeague MVP from Slovenia is only six months younger than Nowitzki was as a rookie from Germany. But according to Nowitzki, the resemblance, in most other respects, stops there.

“At 19, I could shoot a little bit, but I never had the court vision and savviness he brings to the game,” Nowitzki said, appearing Tuesday on Dallas radio’s 105.3 The Fan. “Just the way he reads pick-and-rolls … he’s going to be fun — fun to watch.”

Dallas moved up two spots in the NBA draft to get the versatile guard, who was selected by Atlanta at No. 3. Doncic signed with Real Madrid at age 13 and made his debut as a 16-year-old. Real Madrid won the 2017-18 EuroLeague title and he was the Final Four MVP.

“Obviously, I don’t want to put too much pressure on him,” Nowitzki said in the radio interview. “Coming over from another country — I went through the same thing about 20 years ago — it’s tough. It’s tough to adjust to a lot of things — a different game, different culture, different play styles, different coaching. For me, that took a full year. My first year was really, really tough.

“We’re going to do everything we can to help this kid develop and have fun and learn so we can see the best Luka here in a couple years. But he’s an incredible talent.”

Nowitzki, a former NBA MVP who turned 40 in June, is set to become the first player in NBA history to play 21 consecutive seasons for the same franchise. The 7-footer is one of six players overall, and the only international player, with more than 30,000 career points.

At $5.5 million, Doncic’s rookie salary will outstrip the one-year, $5 million deal Nowitzki resigned for this summer.

“He’s been here now for a week, scrimmaged every day, works hard and I really like what I see,” Nowitzki said. “He’s really incredible with the ball for a big guy, and he’s a legit 6-8.

“He’s unbelievable in the pick-and-roll. He does, like, over-the-head and between-the-leg passes to cutters. The savviness he brings, the court vision — I couldn’t believe what I saw for a 19-, 20-year-old. Unbelievable. He’s a good shooter when he has time. I think he’s going to be great for us for a long, long time.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.