Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic is widely considered one of the best players in the NBA. While leading the league in scoring last season with an average of 33.5 points per game, Doncic strongly asserted himself as an elite offensive threat. Unfortunately, his scoring doesn’t seem to make up for his shortcomings on the other end of the floor.
Luka Doncic has routinely been criticized for being a defensive liability, even though he averaged 1.6 steals per game last season. While much of this could be viewed as a narrative pushed by the media, the consensus remains that Doncic is a subpar defender. Needless to say, this has repeatedly harmed his position in MVP conversations.
The father of reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Vaughn Alexander, certainly emphasized this during a recent appearance on N3on’s live stream. Although Vaughn gave Doncic his flowers, it was clear that the superstar’s lack of defensive involvement affected his reputation.
Vaughn: “I mean, what should he [Doncic] be? Known as one of the best players in the league?”
N3on:Â “One of the best. I think he’s in the conversation.”
Vaughn: “He is. He is in the conversation. He’s in the MVP conversation as well… Well, he is top three. Wasn’t he top three this year in voting? Top three or top four. Well, he is in the conversation. But you know he’s got to play defense, bro. You’ve got to [play] both sides.”
In terms of impact, it is safe to say that Luka Doncic is among the best players in the league. However, in the eyes of Vaughn Alexander, Doncic’s limited defensive involvement relegates him from being considered among the top three point guards in the NBA.
When revealing his list of top three NBA point guards (current), Alexander shared:
“I want to say Shai, of course. Get that out of the way. Cade Cunningham. No. 2… Who would I put at No. 3 point guard? A real, true point guard. Ja Morant.”
Although mentioning Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Cade Cunningham ahead of Luka Doncic seems understandable to some extent, Vaughn’s inclusion of Ja Morant in the list almost raises questions about his approach to the conversation.
While Morant is certainly an exciting player and a force on offense, he isn’t necessarily a reliable defensive presence. In that regard, given what Luka Doncic brings to the table as a versatile offensive player, he certainly seems like a better pick.
Being a solid defender should certainly be a criterion in overall player assessments. However, it can be argued that underplaying one’s impact because their defensive involvement isn’t up to standards also seems unfair.
Players like Jalen Brunson and Nikola Jokic have routinely been hailed for their greatness on offense despite being relatively less involved on defense. Still, this doesn’t seem to affect their position in the same conversations. In light of this, it seems as if Doncic receives excessive flak, which could be another way of pushing narratives.
In all fairness, Doncic made an earnest attempt to address his defensive shortcomings. His notable physical transformation last summer was a crucial part of this process. While the improvement was visible, the sad reality is that it still isn’t enough in the eyes of many.
Although the superstar was phenomenal for the Purple and Gold last season, Luka Doncic has little to show for it aside from his scoring title. Given his aspiration to reach greater heights, it will be intriguing to see what he can produce in the upcoming campaign now that L.A. has tailored its roster to align with his wishes.
