Kings' Dave Joerger on Luka Doncic's Ceiling: 'I Don't See It'

Sacramento Kings head coach Dave Joerger is a card-carrying member of NBA Twitter now after praising Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic.

Doncic finished with 28 points, six rebounds and nine assists in Dallas' 120-113 loss to the Kings on Sunday. Before the game, Joerger said there's no limit to the player Doncic can be in the NBA while hinting at how that might sting for Sacramento, per ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon:

"He's got a lot of different skills and I think he's going to become a heck of a shooter. And when that happens, it's going to make him quicker. He's got good ballhandling and he knows how to play. 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."

Of course, the Kings could've selected Doncic with the second overall pick of the 2018 draft but opted instead for Marvin Bagley III. MacMahon noted Joerger's assessment of Doncic was notable given the "well-chronicled friction" between the head coach and the Kings front office.

Truth be told, passing on Doncic makes sense given De'Aaron Fox's breakout sophomore season. Fox was averaging 18.1 points and 7.6 assists while shooting 40.9 percent on three-pointers entering Sunday's game.

Fox's improvement may not be happening if he had to share the court with Doncic, another skilled passer who would understandably want the ball in his hands.

If anything, going with Bagley over Jaren Jackson Jr. might be the Kings' real mistake. Jackson, who's averaging 13.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks, would've added even more excitement to Sacramento's young roster.

Bagley, meanwhile, is battling a knee injury, while MacMahon wrote his playing time has been another issue separating Joerger and the front office.