Due to playing overseas in Madrid through his early teenage years, Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic garnered quite a following before being drafted in 2018.
When the Dallas Mavericks made a trade to move up to select Doncic, he quickly became a fan favorite and a successor to Dirk Nowitzki. In seven seasons in Texas, he was a five-time All-Star, 2023-24 scoring champion, five-time All-NBA First Team and made his first Finals appearance in 2024.
International players have taken the NBA by storm as of late, like Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama. A new overseas draft prospect, Neoklis Avdalas from Greece, idolized Doncic growing up and believes that their games share similarities, via Eurohoops:
🇬🇷🔥 Greek NBA draft prospect, Neoklis Avdalas is a huge fan of Luka Dončić’s game and believes his playing style is similar to Luka’s! pic.twitter.com/OTPv9MkgHq
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) May 17, 2025
Avdalas’ connection to the Lakers star is well documented, as his physical appearance resembles Doncic and even earned him the nickname of “Nuka Doncic,” which is not a bad deal seeing how the Slovenian is in the top-five conversation of best players in the NBA.
Having a point guard who can control all aspects of the game offensively is what every team is looking for and the reason why L.A. pulled off a trade for Doncic. His vision to read and dissect coverages is another key trait and something young players should take note of.
Avdalas is clearly taking notes as he has watched the 26-year-old’s journey through professional basketball. The Greek guard does indeed have a similar playstyle and even jump shot that looks like Doncic’s. He likes to get down hill, finish through contact, hit spot-up 3-pointers and score in isolations by utilizing his footwork. It remains to be seen where he will get drafted although current projections have his as a late first-round or early second-round pick.
Mavericks’ Jason Kidd still hasn’t spoken to Luka Doncic since trade
When Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison made the shocking decision to part ways with Luka Doncic, a beloved generational star, it burnt almost every bridge. Since arriving with the Lakers, Doncic has continued to express love for his former teammates and the city of Dallas despite how things transpired.
Obviously, Harrison and his former star have not been on speaking terms since this trade. Unfortunately, that seems to have carried over to Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd as he revealed he has not spoken to Doncic up to this point.
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