Sacramento Kings head coach Dave Joerger offered a curious quote about Luka Doncic ahead of a matchup against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
Joerger’s Kings had the second pick in the draft and took Marvin Bagley III after Phoenix selected Deandre Ayton with the No. 1 pick. Doncic was picked third by Atlanta, who traded him to Dallas for Trae Young.
While complimenting Doncic, who is off to a nice start in his rookie season, Joerger seemed to take a shot at Sacramento’s front office for passing on the Slovenian.
Kings coach Dave Joerger on Luka Doncic: "Perhaps there was an idea that there was a ceiling on him. I don't see it, unfortunately for us. But he's great for them and he's great for our league."
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) December 16, 2018
Is Joerger saying there were some with Sacramento who thought Bagley had a higher ceiling than Doncic? It seems that way, otherwise he could have just omitted that part and said Doncic has been great for Dallas.
Bagley has missed time with a back injury and is out with a knee bruise. Though the 19-year-old big man has only come off the bench this season, his Player Efficiency Rating is the second-highest on the Kings, and he has looked good for being a youngster.
Both players are going to be good, though it seems Joerger wishes he had the Rookie of the Year leader on his roster.
