SUMMARY
- Luka Doncic had a fairly dominant game against the Kings in Vlade Divac's presence.
- After securing the victory, he told his team that Divac should have drafted him over Marvin Bagley III.
It is quite baffling how Luka Doncic was overlooked by most of the lottery teams during the 2018 NBA Draft. Considering how far he has flourished in the league, those teams probably regret not picking him over their original choices. Now, this doesn’t mean that the ones drafted before or after him haven’t gotten anywhere near individual dominance. Doncic just happened to transition way better in comparison.
Luka Doncic as he puts away the Kings tonight in Sacramento with his final free throw, then as the final horn sounds, waves goodbye to former Kings GM Vlade Divac seated courtside and says “he shoulda’ drafted me.” pic.twitter.com/6j26cLprxA
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) March 30, 2024
In a recent match-up between the Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings, the 25-year-old played a pivotal role in his team’s victory. The Mavericks had a slight rough patch midway through the season, but now they’ve gotten themselves out of the play-in berths. Doncic secured the victory by nailing two free throws. After making the shots, he turned to Vlade Divac and waved goodbye. Divac was responsible for passing on Luka while he was the general manager of the Kings.
Why did Vlade Divac pass on Luka Doncic?
After the final buzzer was sounded, Luka Doncic went to his bench and said, “He should have drafted me.” This was a taunt to the Kings legend who drafted Marvin Bailey III as the second overall pick in the draft. Divac took full responsibility for the mishap saying, “That was my decision. I still believe Marvin has a big upside. But I needed more time to prove it. I’m sure Marvin is going to prove everybody wrong. But in this league, you need to produce right now. People don’t have patience, but I’m okay with that,” according to NBC Sports.
Ever since joining the league, Bagley hasn’t lived his truest potential. His rookie season was the only year he competed in over 60 games. After that, injuries hindered his ability to participate on the floor consistently. The Kings also traded Bagley to the Detroit Pistons during the 2021-22 season. From there, he ended up on the Washington Wizards this season. Bagley has averaged 13 points and 7 rebounds in six seasons.
Luka Doncic also made the Atlanta Hawks regret trading down
The Kings probably consider this as a lesson learned. Oftentimes, teams pass on players with high potential for the ones they truly need. But sometimes, it’s safer to go with a player who can produce or has produced big numbers. For example, Luka Doncic was originally drafted third overall by the Atlanta Hawks. They traded him shortly after the draft to the Mavericks for Trae Young.
Young has also been extremely dominant in scoring and facilitation as well. However, Doncic has better leadership qualities than Young. During a game against the Hawks this season, Doncic dropped a career-high 73 points. Doncic also has a winning record against the Hawks. Atlanta probably regrets trading him as they would have been a top-tier contender now.