Slovenian guard names ‘huge difference’ between Luka Doncic and Goran Dragic’s work ethic, ‘short and quality…’

Klemen Prepelic on Goran Dragic’s leadership and work ethic

Currently the captain of Dubai Basketball Club and a long-time Slovenia player, Klemen Prepelic recently made an appearance on the ‘Euro Insiders’ podcast.

During the episode, Prepelic was asked about his thoughts on the biggest differences between Dragic and Doncic, as they are widely considered as the two best players in the history of the Slovenian basketball team.

“These are two, without a doubt, the best players in the history of Slovenian basketball. Probably Luka will be the best, great friends, but a huge difference,” Prepelic said.

He added: “Goran is all about work ethic. Being first in the practice, leaving last, whatever he did, we followed. We were like sheep without hats. We were so focused that Goran is our leader.

“If he would practice 10 hours, we would practice 10 hours. We would go to the mountains. There was no doubt that we were going to do whatever Goran said. But it was all about work. We barely hung out.”

Prepelic pointed out that the key reason behind a lack of off-court relationships between players was due to how tiring the practices were.

Luka Doncic believes in quality over quantity, says Klemen Prepelic

Prepelic then shifted his focus to Doncic’s leadership and work ethic as he explained how he’s the polar opposite of Dragic.

“But, on the other side, you have Luka, who is all about talent. Probably one of the most talented players who has ever played basketball. I would not say that he doesn’t like to work.

“He’s very competitive, but he would rather do short and quality than long and quantity,” Prepelic stated.

Doncic has always been criticized for his work ethic, but his Slovenian teammate debunked that theory. More fans will believe that, especially after Doncic’s impressive transformation over the summer.

“So, here we have a lot of free time with Luka. … So, that’s what makes the team building great, arguably the best team chemistry,” Prepelic concluded.

It will be interesting to see if Doncic’s style can aid Slovenia in making an impact during EuroBasket 2025.

So far, the team has struggled in friendly matchups, which include a blowout loss against Latvia, albeit Doncic going off for 26 points.