Luka Doncic thinks Deandre Ayton will be Rookie of the Year

NBA rookies say the darnedest things. For example, most of them think they will be the Rookie of the Year. Heck, Marvin Bagley III even goes so far as to say that he thinks he’ll be the Rookie of the Year AND the MVP. Bagley gives these answers to ESPN in a recent post by Chris Forsberg in which five of this year’s answer five questions. Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic is one of them. And no, he doesn’t pick himself to win Rookie of the Year.

Even though the Las Vegas odds favor Doncic to be named next season’s top rookie, the 19-year-old Slovenia shows some humility with his selection. For his part, Doncic thinks Deandre Ayton, who was drafted first overall by the Phoenix Suns, will take home the honors.

“I would say Ayton,” Donic says. “He was the No. 1 pick. He’s tall, he’s strong, he can do so many things.”

If you were wondering whether, if like Bagley, Doncic fancies himself the league’s next MVP—well, he doesn’t. For that, he kneels before the king.

“LeBron James,” Doncic says will be be the MVP. “I think it’s going to be tough for him [in Los Angeles]. They’re a young team, but it’s still LeBron.”

Oh, and Doncic also can’t wait to see James on the floor too.

“It’s definitely LeBron James because he was my idol,” Doncic says of who he’s looking forward to facing. “He is my idol. That will be fun.”

Great idol. James is the best player on the planet and a wonderful humanitarian. But tap the brakes, Luka. He’s still LeBron. But sure, playing the against the best player in the league will be “fun.” Let’s just hope the announcer doesn’t yell “OH! BLOCKED BY JAMES!” too many times during the game. That won’t be fun.