As much as the rapid success of Luka Doncic speaks to his talent and remarkable maturity at 19 years old, Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni – a former star player and successful coach in Europe – said the way the NBA game has changed can help players make that transition.
"A lot more similar," D'Antoni said. "It's also less physical, which leads to people that have skills (succeeding.) That's always been the M.O. of European players, skilled and maybe not great in a fistfight. We don't fistfight anymore. We just play basketball. It's not just good for them, it's good for the league.