Looking at the 2018 NBA Draft, it’s amazing to think that Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Doncic was essentially the fifth overall pick. Though he was drafted third overall by the Atlanta Hawks, they traded him to the Mavs on draft night in order to secure the rights to Oklahoma’s Trae Young. Of all the teams to pass on Doncic, it wasn’t the Hawks who made the most questionable decision though. In retrospect, it was the Sacramento Kings, who drafted Duke big man Marvin Bagley III with the second overall pick. Far from a franchise centerpiece, Bagley has been fighting just to prove he belongs in an NBA rotation.
Former Kings General Manager Vlade Divac Talks Luka Doncic Draft Decision
In a recent interview with Saša Čobanov of Index.hr, former Kings general manager Vlade Divac defended his choice, evoking De’Aaron Fox‘s name in his explanation:
“I had De’Aaron Fox at that position, whom I drafted a year earlier,” Divac counters. “At that moment, I thought that Fox was a player who could become a franchise player in the next period. Time will tell if I was wrong. As things stand now, it looks like I am, but I have faith in little Fox that he will have a better career.”
Luka Doncic vs. De’Aaron Fox
As Divac says, Doncic is undeniably the better player at this point in their careers. From a production standpoint, Doncic has been a more dominant scorer, rebounder, and facilitator. Through 400 career regular season games, the 25-year-old is averaging 28.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game. He elevates his game in the playoffs, averaging 30.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per contest (50 games).
For comparison, Fox has tallied 21.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per contest after 469 career regular season games. In the postseason, he’s been exceptional, posting 27.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game. Yet, not only do these numbers pale in comparison to Doncic’s, they come from a singular postseason run.
Fox has leveled up in the past four seasons though. Since 2020-21, he’s averaging 25.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. Numbers aside, he’s been a more calculated floor general and finally found his stroke from beyond the arc. Doncic’s just been better, at least offensively. He’s not as gifted athletically, his shot-selection doesn’t sparkle, and he doesn’t spread the ball quite as much as his assist average would suggest. However, he’s a better shot-creator, shot-maker, and playmaker.
Fox has an advantage physically and defensively. Doncic has a penchant for coming up with steals when he’s focused. Fox has a tendency to play beneath his capabilities. Nonetheless, Fox is a more reliable on-ball defender and a better event creator. His quickness isn’t just confined to his foot speed, as he has to have a certain level of mental acuity and hand-eye coordination to lead the league in steals, as he did last season.
Why Choose Between The Two?
Perhaps Doncic and Fox could have co-existed. They’ve both shared the court with high usage players. Doncic’s current running mate is Kyrie Irving, one of the best isolation scorers the game has seen. In 2024-25, Fox will team up with DeMar DeRozan, another elite scorer.
However, Divac doesn’t believe this would’ve worked out. In fact, he thinks that the Kings would’ve had to trade Fox.
“Irving is a classic scorer, as is Luka,” Divac contends. “Fox is not, he is a player who needs the ball, just like Luka needs it. I could only take Luka, but then I would have to trade Fox.”
He almost makes note of the fact that the Hawks and Phoenix Suns opted not to draft Doncic. For the Hawks, this is still a contentious topic, leading to a rivalry of sorts between Doncic and Young. The bad blood runs so deep that it may have even affected Atlanta’s decision with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
“Interestingly, Phoenix also skipped Luka, and then their coach was Igor Kokoškov, who was his coach in Slovenia.
Atlanta drafted him, but they also passed on him. It wasn’t until Dallas took it. I like watching Luka, I really like his basketball, but I had my own reasons why I decided the way I did. Maybe I was wrong, but time will tell.”
Like Divac, the Hawks’ front office will maintain that they made what they felt was the right decision at the time. Young is closer to Doncic than Fox both in terms of statistics and style. Still, he’s seen as less impactful than the prodigious point guard. Until he –or Fox for that matter –proves otherwise, it’s a perception that will continue.
