Very close to being eliminated in the race for the play-in tournament in the West, the Mavericks owe their poor results to an open-door defense, especially in recent weeks. Luka Doncic is aware of this, he who took part of the responsibility for the big air holes of the Mavs in their own half of the field.
“The attack is not the problem. It’s the defense. Anyone can score against us.”
This is what Luka Doncic said on Tuesday to explain the current situation of Dallas, on the edge of the precipice after a terrible series of seven defeats in eight games. Eight games in which the Mavs almost scored 117 points on average… to collect 118.4 points. It is therefore difficult to contradict Luka on this point, especially since Mister Doncic symbolizes the Texan galleys quite a bit to defend their own basket.
Not known for his defensive qualities, Luka tends to simply make an appearance rather than trying to positively impact his team in his own half of the field. Between laziness, slowness, fatigue, and sometimes suspicious physical condition, Doncic represents a weak point that opposition teams do not hesitate to target on many offensive possessions. Sometimes the Slovenian genius increases the intensity, as late in the game against the Hawks recently when Trae Young and Dejounte Murray challenged him – without success – in a one-on-one. But overall, he’s one of the main reasons for Dallas’ weak defense. And he knows it.
“I’ve been playing (long seasons) for 3 years in a row. With 4 weeks break between each. Sometimes it’s hard for me to play hard on both sides of the pitch. But defensively for sure I have to be better. »
Doncic on what he has to work on.pic.twitter.com/2iT8BFA8Uf
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) April 4, 2023
In his defense, Luka Doncic has a lot of offensive responsibilities, and had to carry the Mavs almost alone in attack for much of the season. You add to that the international competitions with Slovenia in the summer, and you understand why defense in the regular season is not at the top of his priorities.
Nevertheless, Luka will still have to move in the future, he who had shown at the start of the season that he could ensure a minimum in his half of the field. It’s one thing not to always be fully defensive, it’s another to be a cone that you get around without difficulty. This is all the more important since Dallas does not have a real circle protector today, and has been without Dorian Finney-Smith (who was the Mavs’ best outside defenseman) since the transfer of Kyrie Irving last February.
Luka Doncic will never be a great defender. But Luka needs to do more. Normally present on the floor tonight for the last chance match against the Kings (best NBA attack), the Slovenian will try to show a better face, he will have to if the Mavs want to stay alive a little longer…