- Luka Doncic has a lot of respect for Dillon Brooks’ defense
- The superstar noted that Brooks is good at “what he does”
- Doncic also praised Brooks’ overall performance against Slovenia
The 2023 FIBA World Cup is well underway as of right now, with the semi-finals coming soon. Recently, we saw Canada clinch the last spot in the semis, by beating Slovenia, 100-89.
Part of the reason that Canada managed to win was due to their elite defense on Luka Doncic. Dillon Brooks was the primary defender on him for a majority of the game, and Doncic finished with 26 points on 8-20 shooting. After the game, Doncic expressed respect for Brooks and what he was able to do on the court.
“I think Dillon played great. He was very physical like he always does. A lot of people don’t like him, but I respect him for what he does and he does that stuff really good.”
There is no doubt that Dillon Brooks’ goal is to play the best possible perimeter defense on opposing stars and try to frustrate them enough to slow them down. He definitely did that with Luka Doncic, and it is clear that Doncic respects Brooks for consistently competing on that end of the floor.
Dillon Brooks has averaged 11.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting a blistering 55.6% from 3PT range during the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He has clearly played a solid 3 and D role for Canada, and we’ll see if he can help them win the tournament.
Luka Doncic Has Complained About The Officiating Against Canada
We have often seen Luka Doncic get into arguments with the referees during his time in the NBA, but the same can be said about his time with the Slovenian national team as well. In fact, Luka Doncic called out the officiating between Slovenia and Canada after his team’s elimination.
“The referees told one of the guys: ‘We’re not gonna call a foul on [Dillon Brooks] because he’s coming at us.’ … I know I complain a lot, but I don’t think it’s fair.”
It is fair to say that most of the time, the referees are simply trying to do their jobs and officiate a good game. Though they may miss one or two calls per game, it is fair to say that one missed call did little to alter Slovenia’s chances, as the team was simply outplayed in the second half.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Explained Canada’s Defense On Luka Doncic
The defense has been key for Canada in all of their games, and that was obviously true in this matchup against Slovenia. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander explained Canada’s effective defense on Luka Doncic, noting that the team continued “throwing him different looks”.
“Obviously, we have two really high-level defenders, probably two of the best in the world at their positions, and we just wanted to keep throwing bodies at him, keep throwing him different looks.”
It remains to be seen how well Canada fares for the rest of the tournament. They will face Serbia in the semi-finals and then face the winner of Team USA and Germany in the Finals if they get past Serbia. They definitely have the talent to medal, and perhaps they can even win it all.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
