Luka Doncic is taking a lot of flak from critics after his Game 3 performance, further exacerbating the defensive woes the 25-year-old guard has had against the Celtics. Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd got real on Doncic’s defensive struggles, explaining that Doncic needs to step up to the challenge and be comfortable in knowing his teammates have his back.
“He’s definitely got a bullseye on his chest, he’s gotta be able to guard and understand that we’re there to protect him and help him if he does get beat. He’s carrying the load offensively and they are putting him in every pick-and-roll and iso, he’s got to be able to play a game where he can rest on offense and let others carry the load.”
Jason Kidd on Celtics hunting Luka Dončić when Mavs are on defense: “He’s definitely got a bullseye on his chest, he’s gotta be able to guard and understand that we’re there to protect him…” pic.twitter.com/Dy5Z96jm1X
— Mavs Fans For Life (@MavsFansForLife) June 13, 2024
Doncic is looking worn down after a long playoff run where he has suffered and played through multiple injuries. He has actively listed injuries to his knee, chest, and ankle, for which he’s been taking painkilling injections as revealed by ESPN. He put up 26 points, six rebounds, and six assists on 40.7% shooting from the field in Game 3, playing shoddy defense and getting sent off for picking up six personal fouls.
His defense has been a problem for him his entire career, but the 2024 Playoffs have shown multiple flashes of Doncic playing great defense. He leads the postseason in steals and is one of the stronger post defenders in the NBA, but he cannot stop people from blowing by him on the perimeter and the Celtics have taken advantage of that.
The flashes of defense won’t save his reputation as a poor defender until he does it in the biggest moments. Failing to do it in the NBA Finals is going to be a black mark on Doncic’s resume.
Luka Doncic’s Defense Was Trashed By Brian Windhorst
After the Mavericks fell to the 99-106 loss in Game 3, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst tore in on Doncic’s performance. He called Doncic’s defensive showing ‘unacceptable’ and pointed out that the Celtics repeatedly attacked him in the game.
“This defensive performance is unacceptable. He’s a hole on the court and the Celtics are attacking him and they are ahead in this series because they have attacked him defensively… He’s a brilliant player, he does so many things well, they’re here because of how he did. His performance in this game was unacceptable and the reason why the Mavericks won’t win.”
All three games in the series have featured moments of Doncic not being able to guard players like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum on the perimeter, though he has had moments against Tatum specifically. Despite that, both the Celtics have punished Luka on switches and scored freely against the Slovenian star.
Doncic showed major improvements in his defense through the Playoffs but that progress seems to have disappeared. Whether he got into his own head or his injuries are wearing him down, this play shouldn’t be ignored just because Doncic has a big offensive load.
Luka is averaging 28.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 8.4 assists in the 2024 Playoffs, with 29.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in the NBA Finals.
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