Just weeks after the Minnesota Timberwolves swiftly eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, Luka Doncic is already looking much slimmer. The Slovenian sensation turned heads with a recent Instagram post showcasing his new build, prompting many to ask how he was able to trim his weight so quickly. But others have simply thought about how effective Doncic can be next season if his fitness level is at its peak.
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Most of the SPEAK crew believe a slimmer Luka will be a much more effective defender. That includes their special guest, actor Morris Chestnut, who recalled a time when Doncic failed to get back on defense and cost his team a three. Had he been in better shape, Chestnut believes the Lakers star would have been able to close out more easily.
Paul Pierce knows that having a defensive impact is more than just being in great shape. Pierce was never known as one of the league’s most explosive athletes, especially by the time Boston was winning again, but he was one of the more impactful defenders of his era. He knows what it takes to be an effective defender without being a premier athlete.
“It’s a mentality, though,” Pierce interjected. “[Luka] has to play a different game for one. His ball usage is way too much, and he’s always been like that. He has to do everything for the team offensively, to where now, when he has to play defense and he gets picked on, he don’t have the energy for that.”
The Truth doesn’t believe Doncic’s weight is what has made him a defensive liability. Instead, the Celtics legend thinks Luka will always struggle to give a full effort on defense when he’s so heavily relied upon on the other side of the court. LA must find a way to give their superstar guard a breather on offense if they hope for him to ever have a positive defensive impact.
Pierce knows what it’s like to be the centerpiece of the offense but also acknowledged how differently defense works now. “When I was playing, and I was the main go-to guy … I would wait til like the fourth quarter to guard the star, so I can conserve something on that end of the court. Whereas now, they search you out,” the Hall of Famer explained.
No matter how in-shape Luka Doncic is heading into next season, expecting him to become a plus defender still feels like a pipe dream. He’ll undoubtedly still be asked to do the heavy lifting for the Lakers offense and will likely rank near the top of the league in usage once again. That could be a problem for an LA team that has struggled to get stops since the trade deadline.
Doncic has the intangibles to be an impactful defender, but humans, even professional athletes, only have so much energy to expend. Luka’s offensive contributions will always be more important than anything he does on defense. But he’ll continue to be a liability on that end unless the Lakers can survive without putting the ball in his hands every play.
