Charlotte Hornets: Mitch Kupchak scouts Luka Doncic in Greece
The Charlotte Hornets’ general manager traveled overseas to personally scout one of the top prospects in the 2018 NBA Draft.
According to EuroHoops.net, Charlotte Hornets‘ GM Mitch Kupchak was in Athens, Greece to watch Luka Doncic and Real Madrid take on Panathinaikos. Doncic and Madrid are currently in the midst of the Euroleague playoffs. Shams Charania just announced that the 19-year old is officially declaring for the 2018 NBA Draft.
It was first reported by Mark Packer that Kupchak and Buzz Peterson were on a flight to Europe to scout. It was unclear who exactly they were going to look at but now it’s clear that their target was Luka Doncic. Other potential prospects in the game included Georgios Kalaitzakis, Santi Yusta and Dino Radoncic.
Doncic and Real Madrid won the game 89-82 with the young Slovenian putting up 18 points, five rebounds and four assists. (STATS) Luka is considered one of, if not, the top prospect in the 2018 draft class. He is projected to go either No. 1 or No. 2 in the draft alongside DeAndre Ayton.
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The only way for Charlotte to likely get Doncic is for them to either trade up into the top-three or win the draft lottery. It’s worth noting that with the 11th worst record in the NBA this past season, the Hornets only have a 0.8% chance of getting the first pick in the draft lottery and a 2.9% chance of landing a top-three selection. The NBA Draft lottery takes place on Tuesday, May 15th.
Although it’s unlikely that Charlotte gets a chance to draft Doncic, Kupchak is just doing his due diligence by scouting one of the top prospects. Mitch hasn’t wasted any time since becoming the Hornets’ GM and President of Basketball Operations as he’s already met with the players, fired Steve Clifford and is scouting while also looking for a new head coach.
The game between Real Madrid and Panathinaikos featured a number of former NBA players including Chris Singleton, Mike James, Adreian Payne, Nick Calathes, Chasson Randle, Anthony Randolph, Rudy Fernandez, Gustavo Ayon, Walter Tavares, Trey Thompkins, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, and former Charlotte player Jeffery Taylor.
Luka is projected to be a generational talent with superstar potential. Getting a player of that caliber would be huge for the Queen City team. Every team in the lottery will surely scout Doncic in some form. Los Angeles Lakers‘ GM Rob Pelinka was also at the game scouting the prospect.
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The 6’6 shooting guard has an all-around game that would fit perfectly with just about any NBA team including the Charlotte Hornets. A backcourt duo of Kemba Walker and Doncic would be a strong core to build around. It will be interesting to see what happens in the draft lottery or to see if Kupchak has a trade in mind.