Luka Dončić: “Obviously, I’m not the best defender in the NBA, but I think this year I really took a step forward.”
In context from Dan Woike’s New York Time’s piece:
Thanks to his play on both sides of the ball, Dončić became the first player to record at least 45 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and five steals. All 15 rebounds were on the defensive glass.
He also drew three charges, including two that withstood video reviews.
“Obviously, I’m not the best defender in the NBA, but I think this year I really took a step forward,” Dončić said. “Obviously, people are going to talk what they want to talk (about) me … But I know, and my team knows, that I think I’m better this year. And that helps the whole team, I think.”
There’s little doubt how it helps the Lakers – and through six games this season, Sunday wasn’t an outlier. According to people who have watched him closest, he’s been more consistent than ever on defense, the most common area of his game that’s been open to criticism.
He’s consistently been low on defense when containing the basketball, so much so that Laker coaches have highlighted it on film “a million times” so far this year.
He’s done it while leading the league in scoring through the first two weeks, averaging 37.7 points per game.
Dončić knows his reputation on the defensive side of the basketball won’t easily be shed. Video of him getting beaten on a crossover dribble against Steph Curry turned the tables on Dončić, usually the perpetrator of such highlights. But the Lakers have exponentially more defensive highlights from him so far this season that show his commitment to impacting the game on the defensive end.