Suns’ Sarver, Jones on hand to see Luka Doncic in EuroLeague Final Four
May 18, 2018, 4:16 PM | Updated: May 21, 2018, 1:39 pm
The Phoenix Suns have a big choice to make at No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft between Arizona’s Deandre Ayton and Real Madrid’s Luka Doncic.
Luckily for the Suns, if they wanted more up-close impressions of the Slovenian Doncic, he will still be in action for a month.
His most important stretch, though, is in the EuroLeague Final Four this Friday and Sunday, and vice president of basketball operations James Jones had a good seat for Friday’s game.
Phoenix Suns, winners of the No. 1 NBA draft pick, sent James Jones, VP of Basketball Operations, to the Euroleague Final Four. He's sitting courtside to witness Luka Doncic in the flesh. pic.twitter.com/bf84A8cp51
— David Pick (@IAmDPick) May 18, 2018
Owner Robert Sarver was also in attendance, per ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
Both will have another game to take in on Sunday, as Doncic scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a win over CSKA Moscow to advance to the final.
Doncic dictated the pace of play in the game, operating both off and on the ball. He was heady on both sides of the floor, making a couple smart defensive plays. Offensively, he had success both with his signature step-back jumper and attacking the basket, where he was able to finish and draw fouls.
Luka Doncic puts up 10 in the first half for Real Madrid – live on @NBATV! pic.twitter.com/K8x4oHb4g2
— NBA (@NBA) May 18, 2018
Real Madrid will take on Fenerbahce in the championship game on Sunday. It’s a serious chance at redemption for Doncic and his team, as they fell to the Turkish side in the semifinals last season. Doncic struggled, going scoreless in 17 minutes.
That game was obviously on Doncic’s mind right away. When a postgame reporter joked that Doncic never has a bad game, he brought it up unprompted.
19-years-old and leading his team into the Final!
Another red letter night for @luka7doncic 👏#F4GLORY pic.twitter.com/92QQNyhRgV
— EuroLeague (@EuroLeague) May 18, 2018
“It was good and bad experience,” Doncic said. “I learned a lot in that game so I can prove it.”