Luka Doncic‘s offensive ability and effectiveness rank among the best in the league. However, his defensive effort in this playoffs has earned him plenty of plaudits. The Dallas Mavericks superstar continued to showcase his improving defense in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves, with two stops late in the contest to seal the win for his team.
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In the post-game press conference, the guard was asked about those plays. He sarcastically acted surprised after receiving praise for his defense.
Q: "… want to ask you about the couple defensive stops you got there late"
Luka: "OH!"
Q: "The all defensive teams came out and you didn't get a vote… I don't know if you're surprised by that"
Luka: "Next year" pic.twitter.com/Ind885Vnqt— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) May 23, 2024
Doncic also quipped that he’ll earn votes for the NBA All-Defense team next season. This was the second time the guard joked about getting votes for the All-Defense team next year.
After his incredible block on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the Mavericks’ Game 5 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the previous round, he said he wants to earn those All-Defensive votes in the 2024-25 campaign.
Doncic is aware of the criticisms of his defense. Earlier, he has also said that he’ll likely never get credit for his improvements. But now that he is getting praised for it, he isn’t getting too carried away and focusing on helping his team.
It seems high time that the European converts his MVP-like year to a championship. He has proven his worthiness to claim the throne by plugging his defensive gaps in this post-season.
Luka Doncic’s exceptional defensive effort in the playoffs
Luka Doncic has been a man on a mission in these playoffs. While he has unsurprisingly been stellar on offense, his defensive side has particularly been topnotch since the Mavericks’ first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers. The guard held his own against LA’s star-studded roster, as none of their top six scorers shot better than 44% with him as the primary defender.
While Paul George shot just 36.4% with Doncic on him, Kawhi Leonard had just 16.7% FG. Other stars on the list were Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Norman Powell, and Terance Mann with 28.6%, 43.5%, 35.7%, and 33.3%, respectively.
Continuing his stretch, the Slovenian was a mammoth on the defensive end. Besides posting 33 points, six rebounds, and eight assists, which are usual numbers from him, Doncic had three steals and one block. More than the numbers, he looked extremely comfortable even while guarding the paint against the likes of Rudy Gobert, during clutch situations.
WATCH LUKA DONCIC ON DEFENSE. pic.twitter.com/kbf5VwhyfD
— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) May 23, 2024
Doncic has been one of the best two-way players in these playoffs. Per Statmuse, among players averaging more than 20 points per game, his defensive rating of 109.4 ranks sixth-best overall, and third-best among guards behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (103.6) and Anthony Edwards (107.9).
Doncic likely won’t earn All-Defensive votes with his defensive ability, but he’d settle for an NBA title, which is now only seven wins away.
