Sacramento Kings

Possible Kings pick Doncic is EuroLeague MVP. Next up, revenge on Bogdanovic's ex-team?

Slovenia's Luka Doncic celebrates during the Eurobasket European Basketball Championship final match against Serbia in Istanbul on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017.
Slovenia's Luka Doncic celebrates during the Eurobasket European Basketball Championship final match against Serbia in Istanbul on Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017. AP

This is shaping up to be a big couple of months for Luka Doncic.

The 19-year-old Real Madrid wing was named the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague MVP on Saturday, the youngest player to receive the award, according to EuroLeague.net. He's also a favorite to be taken by the Kings with the second overall pick in the NBA draft on June 21.

In his third pro season, the Slovenian averaged 16.1 points and 4.4 assists. He led the league with a performance index rating of 21.69 entering Sunday's championship game against Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul.

The teams met in last season's Final Four semifinal, when Bogdan Bogdanovic led Fenerbahce to an 84-75 win en route to the EuroLeague title. Bogdanovic, now with the Kings, had a team-high 14 points, while Doncic went scoreless in 17 minutes.

Doncic can even the score against Fenerbahce, but his next opportunity to play Bogdanovic would likely be in the NBA – or in practice in Sacramento.

In an interview posted by Eurohoops.net on Jan. 30, Bogdanovic reflected on his experiences playing against Doncic and his potential in the NBA.

"I think he can play here, and he has unbelievable talent," said Bogdanovic, who was named First Team All-Euro League in 2016-17. "I don't know if they're going to select him as the first pick, because that depends on him. But right now I can say he's the most experienced guy and most talented guy at that age, from 18 to 22. That's what I feel when I play against him and when I watch him play."

This story was originally published May 19, 2018 at 7:32 PM with the headline "Possible Kings pick Doncic is EuroLeague MVP. Next up, revenge on Bogdanovic's ex-team?."

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