Slovenian teen star Luka Doncic has elevated to the forefront of the Atlanta Hawks' internal discussions on the third overall pick in Thursday's NBA Draft, league sources told ESPN.
Doncic's elevation within the Hawks organization reflects a league-wide belief that Deandre Ayton and Marvin Bagley III could go 1-2 to Phoenix and Sacramento to open the draft, league sources said.
If the Kings pass on Bagley, that would clearly complicate the Hawks' ultimate choice with the third pick.
Doncic started to separate himself in organizational discussions around the choice, an examination that has included a tremendous intrigue with Jaren Jackson Jr.