The Minnesota Timberwolves are once again bracing for a postseason battle against Luka Doncic, this time as he leads the Los Angeles Lakers. However, they would do well to remember the carnage Doncic unleashed on them just one year ago in the 2024 Western Conference Finals.
In a masterclass of offensive brilliance, Luka torched the Wolves with surgical precision, averaging 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 8.2 assists over five games. Despite throwing a staggering eight different defensive coverages at him, Minnesota had no answers.
Game 3 of that series was particularly illustrative. After Doncic hit a stunning game-winner over Rudy Gobert in Game 2 to give the Mavericks a 2-0 series lead, the Wolves knew they had to shake things up. What followed was a dizzying array of defensive schemes—each more desperate than the last—but none effective.
The first major adjustment came in the form of a blitzed pick-and-roll. Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels aggressively trapped Doncic at the top of the arc, hoping to take the ball out of his hands. But Luka calmly kept his dribble alive and slipped a bounce pass to Dereck Lively, who rolled to the rim for an easy dunk. The trap failed.
Next possession, the Wolves switched everything. Mike Conley ended up on Luka, and Doncic methodically dragged him into isolation, called for a re-screen, and eventually found himself with Gobert on the switch. Step-back three—money. Gobert never had a chance.
Trying again, Minnesota had Karl-Anthony Towns and McDaniels switch and trap Doncic at the wing. Luka, unbothered, skipped the ball to P.J. Washington, who drove into the lane, kicked it to Derrick Jones Jr., who then penetrated and got it back to Lively for another dunk. Ball movement fueled by Doncic’s vision shredded the trap.
Then came a post-up possession where the Wolves doubled Doncic with Conley and Gobert. Luka read it perfectly and lobbed over the top again to Lively, who was becoming a frequent flyer above the rim. Every trap just opened more space.
Trying to slow him with sideline pressure, the Wolves iced the next pick-and-roll, forcing Doncic toward the baseline. Towns dropped back, and with Jaden McDaniels caught on Luka’s hip, Gafford rolled hard to the rim, forcing a foul. The Wolves’ defense looked helpless.
When Minnesota dropped into a traditional drop coverage with Towns sagging into the paint, Doncic again read it instantly, floating a perfect lob to Gafford, who beat the backpedal for another dunk. Even a shift to a 2-3 zone didn’t save them—Kyrie Irving got an open corner three off Luka’s skip pass, a shot the Mavericks would take every possession.
Doncic finished Game 3 with 33 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals on 10-of-20 shooting and 5-of-11 from deep. The Mavericks won 116-107, taking a 3-0 stranglehold on the series. Minnesota would steal Game 4, but ultimately succumb in five.
The message was clear then, and it still is: You can blitz him, switch on him, zone him, drop back, or double. It doesn’t matter. If Luka Doncic sees it once, he’s going to solve it. And when he does, the result is usually a win.
