When was Luka Doncic drafted? Taking closer look at Maverick's star first year in NBA

After winning all individual and team awards in the EuroLeague and the ACB (Rising Star, MVP, EuroLeague championship, Final Four MVP, ACB title, Finals MVP), Luka Doncic decided to move to the NBA. This happened at the end of the 2017/18 season, and a month later, in June 2018, he was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the fifth overall pick of the draft.

However, he never played for Atlanta. The Dallas Mavericks acquired him on draft night in a swap with fellow NBA star Trae Young, whom Dallas had picked at No.3.

There were high expectations for Luka Doncic from the first time he moved to the league and joined the Mavs. His impressive offensive repertoire and leadership skills, despite his young age, led the Mavs to make him one of the team's leaders even from his rookie season.

But what exactly did Luka Doncic do in his rookie season with the Mavs in the NBA?

Luka Doncic's accomplishments in his rookie NBA season

Doncic quickly started to make a name for himself in the NBA. He was considered the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year award that year and didn't disappoint. He won Rookie of the Month awards in consecutive months (November, December 2018, January 2019).

In the meantime, he was breaking individual records with the double-doubles and triple-doubles he was posting, while he appeared in the 2019 All-Star Game as well. The Slovenian superstar finished his rookie season with averages of 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game over 72 matches with the Mavs.

Doing so, he joined NBA legends Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James as players with at least 20 points, five assists and five rebounds per game in their rookie season.

He also confirmed expectations, as he was part of the All-Rookie Team in the 2018-19 season, while he was named the Rookie of the Year.

Since then, Luka Doncic has transformed into a megastar and a franchise player for Dallas, being the Mavs' best chance of winning its first NBA championship since 2011.