Luka Doncic is an elite scorer in the NBA. But he has always lagged behind in putting effort on the defensive end of the court.
Many fans have even labeled him as the worst transition defender in NBA history. Los Angeles Clippers superstar Paul George recently talked about Luka Doncic’s defense in a recent episode of his podcast. George gave a simple answer to why Doncic is not a great defender in the NBA.
“Some people just can’t play defense, and that’s okay,” George said. “As good as he is offensively, some people just are not gifted defensively and vice versa. Some people are very gifted defensively, offensively, just a little tough. Dennis Rodman, great on defense. That’s not his game.”
(Starts at 29:48)
Luka Doncic finished the 2022-23 NBA with 32.4 PPG, 8.6 RPG, and 8.0 APG. He was only second to Joel Embiid in terms of scoring, as the 76ers star won the scoring title this season.
On the other hand, Doncic had a defensive rating of 113.3, making him a lackluster player when it comes to defending.
Luka Doncic Wants To Become A Better Defender
Luka Doncic may have averaged astronomical numbers on the offensive end of the floor, it was still not enough to carry the Dallas Mavericks to a play-in spot.
Doncic and his poor defense are receiving a lot of blame for the Mavs’ epic collapse this season. Keeping that in mind, Doncic is aware of his flaws and wants to improve as a defender.
“I’ve been playing basketball for three straight years. Four weeks in between it was free. Sometimes it’s really hard for me to play really hard on both ends. But obviously, the defensive end, I gotta be way better.”
It’s not easy for every athlete to be a great two-way player in the league. The Mavs do not need Luka to become an elite defender. All they need him to do is show some effort on the defensive end of the floor.
Moreover, with Kyrie Irving on the roster, he can take some of the offensive load off Luka. Thus allowing the European superstar to focus on his defense.
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