Dennis Smith Jr., De’Aaron Fox, Markelle Fultz and Frank Ntilikina will all face challenges in pursuit of Lonzo Ball’s NBA triple double record this season. Come 2018-19, Marvin Bagley III could give chase, but only if he turns into A) a monster shot-blocker or B) a Wilt Chamberlain-like passer. Within the next two seasons, the biggest threat to the Los Angeles Lakers rookie’s current mark might come not from any domestic phenom, but from Europe’s most enticing export: Luka Doncic.
The 18-year-old Slovenian sensation is widely considered the best player across the Atlantic—if not the best non-American who isn’t currently in the NBA—and has been burning up draft boards for years now. He’s sniffed triple doubles as a pro since the age of 16.
And though he has yet to snare one in an official competition, his size (6-foot-7), scoring ability (16.9 points per game for Real Madrid so far this season), preternatural passing skills and keen feel for the game portend prodigious production across the box score once he gets accustomed to the NBA game and earns significant minutes wherever he lands.
In some respects, Doncic might look like Europe’s answer to Lonzo. Both are big guards who make the game easier for their teammates and contribute across the board. Neither is considered a superlative athlete. And while both shot well before getting to the NBA, the caliber of defensive competition in the league could depress Doncic’s percentages, just as it has Ball’s.
That adjustment (i.e. how quickly or slowly it comes) will have plenty to do with Doncic’s success as a triple-doubler, just as it does with all the other players dissected in this series. So, too, will the soon-to-be import depend on the faith placed in him by the team that drafts him. If he winds up on a bad team that already sports a ball-dominant guard, Doncic might not get enough touches to stuff his stat sheets properly.
And if he’s a liability on defense, he could run into some difficulty garnering minutes on the court, let alone playmaking responsibility while he’s out there.
Should Doncic land in the right spot, he’ll have ample time to make his mark in league history. He’ll be 20 years and 15 days old—the same age Lonzo was when he broke LeBron James’ record for the NBA’s youngest triple double—on March 15, 2019. That figures to give Doncic around 60-65 games to feel his way through the Association and pile up some eye-popping numbers if he is, in fact, all he’s cracked up to be once he arrives on American soil.
