Luka Doncic has dealt with his fair share of criticism throughout his NBA career. One of the biggest came following his blockbuster trade to the Los Angeles Lakers from the Dallas Mavericks, with many questioning his conditioning. However, a different criticism recently emerged from a former NBA champion—and it had nothing to do with Doncic’s physical fitness.
Samaki Walker, who won a championship with the Lakers in 2002, recently took aim at Doncic for past comments in which the All-Star guard suggested the NBA was “softer” than European basketball.
In an interview with JJ Redick while still playing for the Mavericks, Doncic remarked that it was easier to score in the NBA than in Europe, citing differences in rules between the two leagues.
Despite praising Doncic’s offensive skill set, Walker expressed frustration with the Slovenian’s remarks during a recent appearance on The Coach JB Show, saying they disrespected the league.
“I personally feel — and I love Luka offensively — but I feel like over the last few years, he disrespected the NBA because I follow him,” Walker said. “He goes back to Europe and talks about how soft the NBA is, yet he doesn’t play any defense. You know what I’m saying? So, yeah, I take that personally”.
Walker also questioned whether Doncic has the mindset to commit defensively, emphasizing that defense in the NBA requires more than just physical readiness. “I wanna see if he’s in shape and he has the mentality to play defense ’cause, hell, you can get in shape, but it still takes a mentality to play D, you know what I’m saying? A lot of time, these guys don’t wanna play defense because they don’t wanna look bad because of their brand,” Walker added.
Even Doncic himself addressed how the physical transformation he underwent during the offseason will help him improve on defense and he also pointed to the arrival of former Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart as a key resource in that area.
“I think way better. Obviously we got Marcus, so he’s gonna teach me some things. But obviously that is going to help a lot,” Doncic said at the press conference following the contract extension with the Lakers