“I Have Taken A Big Step on Defense, But People Won’t Say It!”: Luka Doncic Comes out Swinging About Improving, and He Isn’t Lying

Luka Doncic’s offensive ability has been as incredible as always. As of the time of writing, the man is averaging 34 points, 8 rebounds, and 8.1 assists, while shooting 50% from the floor. And while his three-ball is still at just 29.4%, the man has given us enough reason to believe all he needs is time.

Now, given the fact that Doncic is more of an offensive juggernaut, fans don’t often pay attention to his defense. But apparently, that hasn’t stopped Luka from working on his game. In fact, he recently came in very, very strong while making a statement about his defensive abilities.

And suffice it to say, you’re going to want to see it.

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Luka Doncic boasts that his defense this season has gotten far better than ever before

It’s no secret Luka Doncic has been a bit of a liability on the defensive end since his rookie year. And frankly, there’s nothing wrong with that.

Given how much he does on the offensive end, he’s allowed to suck at defense a bit. But of course, it would also mean his ceiling as a player would never change much.

So instead, he has been working hard on his defense… and yet there has been no buzz about it.

With not many having noticed his defense improving, here is the statement he decided to put out, as per ‘The Dallas Morning News’.

“People are not going to admit it, but I think this year I’ve really taken a big step,” he said. “I don’t need people to believe; I believe in myself. I think I’ve been playing defense way better than the first four years and I think I’ve taken a huge step forward.”

Sean Sweeny, assistant coach of the Dallas Mavericks has been a massive reason for this jump of Luka Doncic’s. And if nothing else, it’s good to see that the man is at least competitive about defense now.

But, do the numbers prove he is any better now than he was before?

There have been numerical indicators of the truth

During his time in the NBA, Luka Doncic’s worst defensive rating (points given up, per 100 possessions) stood at 111.3. This was in 2020-21.

His best defensive rating thus far, came just last season dropping to a much improved 106.5. And we’re happy to say, he seems to be on a similar track right now, with his current defensive rating standing at 106.7.

Further, the Mavericks man is also averaging a career-best 1.8 steals per game.

So yes, his defense has very much improved compared to previous seasons in the league.

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