The Dallas Mavericks haven’t been at their best lately. Instead of climbing up in the standings, the Kyrie Irving trade took a massive toll on their defense, up to the point where they may not even make the NBA playoffs at all.
Of course, Luka Doncic has gotten plenty of praise since he entered the league. He’s a generational talent and a player who might go down as one of the greatest to ever do it once it’s all said and done.
However, as great as he is, Doncic has been a defensive liability for the better part of his young career. So, it’s nice to see that he’s finally taking some of the blame and admitting that he needs to do better.
Luka Doncic Takes The Blame For The Mavs’ Failure
“I’m the leader of this team,” Doncic said. “The one to blame is me, so I take a lot.”
“I’ve been playing basketball for 3 straight years. 4 weeks in between it was free. Sometimes it’s really hard for me to play really hard on both ends. But obviously, the defensive end I gotta be way better,” the former Real Madrid star added.
That’s a terrible excuse, Luka. You’re not the only guy playing year-round, and that’s what makes two-way players stand out. LeBron James used to be an elite defender, Kobe Bryant was an outstanding defender, and don’t even get me started on Michael Jordan.
Kendrick Perkins Rips Doncic
Notably, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins recently put Doncic on blast for his lack of leadership and defensive effort. Per Perkins, it’s time people start holding him accountable for the team’s shortcomings.
“Luka, it’s not everybody else around you all the time,” Perkins said on ESPN. “Sooner or later, it is you. When I watch Luka, I get so disturbed by his body language. Not only towards the officiating but towards his teammates.”
“The pouting, the hanging of the head, going to the media,” Perk continued. “You talk about giving up a 132? How many of those points were on you last night? When are you gonna be accountable and say ‘I am tired of getting picked on? I’m gonna do more on the defensive side… I could at least give effort’… It’s easy to say it’s Kyrie’s fault or that J-Kidd doesn’t know what he’s doing. At what point do we start pointing the finger at Luka? About his bad habits, his poor leadership skills, about him not putting effort defensively, about them whether having to worry about he’ll be in shape? Those things matter.”
Whatever the case, Doncic is too good of a player not to turn things around eventually. And while he may never be a good defender, a little effort could go a long way, so let’s hope he takes a leap forward in that regard.