Luka Doncic is one of the best offensive players in the league. He is the No. 1 option on the Dallas Mavericks, and he is currently putting up 25.2 PPG, 8.8 RPG, and 8.7 APG.
Despite his offensive prowess, in previous years, Luka Doncic was never known as a good defender. With that being said, he has improved on the defensive end this year. While some believe Luka Doncic doesn’t need to be good on defense, he clearly wanted to improve at that end of the floor.
Luka Doncic commented on his improved defense this season, claiming that the team’s overall defense has helped him get better. Notably, the Dallas Mavericks have held opponents to under 50% from the field in 23 straight games, and have won 11 of those games.
"I actually think I got way better defensively. … But it's our team defense. Our team defense has helped me get better." – Luka Doncic
— The Kobe Beef (@TheKobeBeef) January 24, 2022
The Mavs have held opponents to below 50% shooting in 23 straight games.
They have won 11 of 13. pic.twitter.com/UrFuKkUSlT
— StatMuse (@statmuse) January 24, 2022
I actually think I got way better defensively. … But it’s our team defense. Our team defense has helped me get better.
There is no question that the Dallas Mavericks as a whole are a really good defensive team this year. They have been the 4th best defense in the league. Some of that can be attributed to the hiring of Jason Kidd, who was a defensive-minded point guard during his time in the league.
The Dallas Mavericks still have not won a playoff series with Luka Doncic. Hopefully, that changes in the future. There is no question that Luka Doncic has the talent to be a No. 1 option on a contending team: we are seeing evidence of that this season, especially recently.
It remains to be seen if Luka Doncic will end up keeping up the stellar defense he has played thus far. He may have limited athleticism to be a top-tier defender, but his size and knowledge of positioning can help him go a long way. Perhaps we’ll continue to see him take strides on that end of the floor, and playing defense is definitely important if he aspires to lead a contender.
