The rise of Luka Doncic has brought forth immense scrutiny over his gameplay while drawing comparisons with NBA superstars. One such instance occurred recently as Jeff Teague used James Harden as a reference to dissect the defensive contributions of the Mavs star. In the latest episode of the Club 520 Podcast, he claimed the Slovenian was a worse defender than the Beard, raising eyebrows all around.
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The conversation majorly circled the NBA All-Stars’ willingness to help their teammates out defensively. In the process, Teague downplayed Doncic’s efforts to put Harden ahead in the pecking order. He even shed light on the latter’s Oklahoma City Thunder days to establish his viewpoint during the conversation.
“I have seen James Harden guard Kobe [Bryant] when he was in OKC. I ain’t never and I mean never seen Luka [Doncic] play defense…You can go to highlights of James Harden actually competing against people. Luka ain’t never played defense,” he declared.
Following that, Teague broke down the potential reason behind the mindset of the superstars. He put into focus how Harden had to earn his spot by contributing in all phases of the game before becoming a talismanic figure. On the contrary, Doncic became a key cog of the Mavs since joining them in 2018, leading to seeming apathy in playing defense.
Despite the seeming harshness, the words contained a certain amount of truth. Amidst the offensive prowess, Doncic’s eagerness to contribute on the defensive end of the floor has always served as a source of worry. His defensive rating of 114.3 for the ongoing season as per StatMuse adds further volume to the statement. Hence, the criticism seemed justified to a certain extent.
This was not the first time Luka Doncic was compared to James Harden
On January 2023, Spencer Dinwiddie put into focus a similar narrative due to the comparisons between Doncic and Harden at the time. During his appearance on Buckets, the NBA star went on an opposite route to back the Slovenian point guard. Admitting the shortcomings, Dinwiddie displayed support for the craft of the 2019 ROTY adding fuel to the discussion.
“The edges that I would give Luka, and these are pretty big ones, he participates in the defensive end. Harden, obviously, is a phenomenal player, athletically gifted, and capable of doing so much… I don’t think he did. I think Luka does have some athletic deficiencies but he definitely participates and tries… He puts effort there,” he mentioned.
Hence, the debate remains purely subjective as the opinions stay dependent on the perception. Yet, it puts both the NBA superstars under poor limelight devaluing their contributions on the court. Over time, it has turned into a stigma for both of them as they aim to overcome it.
