Analyst Relives Suns Passing On Lakers' Luka Doncic

With the first pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the Phoenix Suns selected Deandre Ayton instead of Luka Doncic, and it's a decision the franchise has come to regret.

Ayton and Doncic are now teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers, but CBS Sports writer Jasmyn Wimbish imagines a timeline in which the Suns selected the Slovenian guard with the top pick instead of the Bahamian center.

"So let's say the Suns pulled off a draft-night stunner and surprised everyone by taking Dončić. With him and [Devin] Booker as the backcourt tandem, Phoenix would've experienced success very early on. Dončić actually excels when there's another elite playmaker in the backcourt, and Booker would've fit that bill perfectly. And assuming the Suns still do the draft night trade to land Mikal Bridges in that same draft as Dončić, Phoenix would've had a powerful trio of players for many years to come," Wimbish wrote.

"Just imagine Booker and Bridges knocking down shots off of no-look over the back passes from Dončić. The Suns would routinely put up historic offensive numbers, and could've built a championship contender rather quickly with those three."

The Suns made it to the NBA Finals without Doncic in 2021, but they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks. One small change could set off a chain reaction, but it's hard to imagine the Suns not being contenders with Doncic and Booker in the backcourt.

The Suns wouldn't be guaranteed as a champion, but they would certainly be challenging the likes of the Oklahoma City Thunder with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Denver Nuggets with Nikola Jokic.

In the meantime, the Suns are set to begin training camp in a few weeks before the start of the preseason. Their first game comes against Doncic's Lakers on Oct. 3 from Palm Springs, Calif. inside Acrisure Arena.