Luka Doncic‘s defensive weakness was on full display in the Mavericks‘ 113-115 loss to the Jazz. Firstly, eagle-eyed fans spotted him completely putting zero defensive effort when Collin Sexton drove into the circle for an easy mid-range shot, completely abandoning his teammates.
“Luka’s iso defense is amazing”. Nah, he’s lazy as hell and deserves all the criticism he’s receiving. We know he’s great offensively. But this is pathetic.
pic.twitter.com/aW6ZACitdn https://t.co/uCkI3sy8F9
— Glen (@Glenjr1988) November 15, 2024
Later in the game, with the score tied 113-113 and the Mavericks still having a chance to keep the game tied to go into overtime, or even win the game, Doncic completely shut off on defense, not even guarding a single player, and allowing Jordan Clarkson to find John Collins for an easy dunk to seal the win.
Watch Luka on D
Bro gave up the game winning dunk 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/OcaYmweV1G
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) November 15, 2024
Doncic put up 37 points (13-25 FG), seven rebounds, nine assists, and one steal against the Jazz. But his poor defensive efforts nullified all of his scoring exploits and cost the Mavericks the all-important win.
Doncic’s defensive flubs haven’t just been limited to this game. There have been several instances this season. In a game against the Phoenix Suns, Doncic could be seen playing half-hearted post-defense against Jusuf Nurkic, attempting to simulate contact and flop to draw a foul rather than stopping him from getting to the basket.
Luka completely flopped then rolled around on the floor holding his face. pic.twitter.com/YFgicaMTHf
— Mike Vigil (@protectedpick) November 9, 2024
And while Doncic is an excellent offensive player, his inability to lock in defensively has been costing the Mavericks, and invalidating his own contributions. Against the Warriors, Doncic made a basket but wasn’t fast enough on transition defense, allowing the Warriors to go right to the basket for another two points.
After his own made basket, Luka is too slow getting down the floor and gives the 2 points right back pic.twitter.com/VN1pT9Mxys
— r/GogaBitadze moderator (@klaytheist11) November 13, 2024
It’s surprising that Doncic has started the season so poorly on the defensive end, especially considering how blatantly clear his defensive failings were during the 2024 NBA Finals. One fan put out a compilation of his defensive flubs against the Celtics, and there is no denying those mistakes played a big part in costing the Mavericks the win and potentially, the NBA championship.
This compilation of Luka’s defense has me CRYING 😭
— CelticsUnite (@CelticsUnite18) June 11, 2024
The Mavericks will be concerned about this trend from Doncic on the defensive end. While Doncic was never the best defender, his staggeringly poor performance on defense has now become a problem the Mavericks need to solve if they want to compete for an NBA championship.
Luka Doncic Struggling To Make An Impact
Heading into the new season, many expected Luka Doncic to be an MVP candidate and help the Mavericks win a lot of games. But so far, that has not been the case. The Mavericks are currently 5-7 in the Western Conference and hold the 12th seed.
Doncic is averaging 29.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game while shooting 42.8% from the field, 32.0% from the three-point line, and 81.0% from the stripe.
On the defensive end, Doncic has been very poor, with a defensive rating of 110.2, ranking 234th out of 462 players. Despite this, the Mavericks have been able to stay afloat, thanks to the other players, as they rank 12th in defensive rating with a score of 111.6 and give up 111.3 points per game so far.
A simple improvement in Doncic’s defense could do wonders for the team, even allowing them to break into the top 10 best defensive teams in the league.
The Mavericks will turn their attention to Saturday night when they face a big challenge as they play at home against the San Antonio Spurs at 8:30 PM EST. Doncic will be hoping to redeem himself after his poor showing tonight.
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