His last and historic exhibitions with the Mavericks have turned the Slovenian into the great nightmare of NBA coaches. “Watching his videos is like a horror movie,” warns Mike Malone
The question of how to stop Luka Doncic It begins to become a genre of its own. Some respond seriously, and list what makes the Slovenian one of the great stars of the NBA – “one of the best offensive players in history,” he proclaimed. Dwayne Casey, coach of the Detroit Pistons. And others tint his resignation with irony. A couple of seasons ago Frank Vogel, then a Lakers coach, said they had studied the option of kidnapping him. And a few days ago Gregg Popovich He joked that his Spurs’ goal would be to get him below 50 points. Doncic scored 51.
In the same way that the injury of Anthony Davis in the Lakers has awakened the best LeBron James of the course, the part of casualties of the Dallas Mavericks has revealed the best Luka Doncic of his career. The Slovenian, in a string of exhibitions, has reached 50 points in three of his last six appearances, and he hit his peak in the unusual comeback against the Knicks: 60 points, 21 rebounds, 10 assists. Hence Popovich’s ‘fear’ before the game in San Antonio, and the playful resignation afterward. When they went to hug, the Spurs coach pretended to push him away with a slap.
To know more
The apotheosis of Luka Doncic: 60 points and a historic comeback
The apotheosis of Luka Doncic: 60 points and a historic comeback
At the time of writing these lines, the Mavs have linked seven victories on the shoulders of the best Doncic. The Slovenian – and a friendly schedule, it must be said – is the main reason why Dallas has successfully weathered a string of notable losses in recent weeks. His firepower compensates for the gaps that these absences have opened in defense, and he has fourth in the powerful Western Conference against a squad that with everyone available was already very fair.
It is the double edge of an unprecedented trance. No one before had amassed 225 points, 50 rebounds and 50 assists in five games. In that section he has been responsible (between baskets and assists) for 69.5% of his team’s points with him on track. It’s a good reflection of his ability to read and manipulate defences, whether they’re trying to contain him or ‘let’ him score to isolate teammates from him. If NBA coaches have learned anything, it’s that there is no right answer.
game in paint
“Reviewing his videos is like a horror movie. You are very scared,” he said Mike Malonecoach of the Denver Nuggets, who has in Nikola Jokic Another one of those skeleton keys. “It makes our coaching staff have many video sessions at night and many discussions in the morning to figure out what nobody has been able to figure out,” he said. Monty Williamshis victim in last season’s playoffs.
The Suns coach even said that Luka Doncic is the best player in the NBA in the paint. And although there are those who score more (he is 10th in that section, with 13.9 points per night in the area), he does not lack reasons. The Slovenian is the second who scores the most in his penetrations to the basket (15) and the best assistant (2.7). And although his effectiveness at the post (the biggest novelty of this course) has dropped in recent games, he remains among the elite in a field reserved for tall men.
“It’s a nightmare. We don’t have an answer,” replied the Lakers coach, Darwin Ham, when asked what it was like to come up with a way to stop Doncic. “We’re all going to have to pitch in… And also cross our fingers and toes,” Casey said to the same question, an increasingly widespread genre. Especially as a result of the last exhibitions.
But in addition to the astonishment, there is also the feeling that they were necessary to keep the Mavs afloat. When Dallas decided not to cover the output of Jalen Brunson, the other main generator and second best player on the team, was ‘condemning’ Doncic to this level of responsibility. The demand had dropped in the last month at the same rate that the group was improving (slightly), but the latest drops have once again placed a huge weight on his shoulders.
If it’s working, it’s because Doncic is a generational talent. “How is it possible for someone so good to come out of such a small country?” Popovich joked a few years ago, the greatest supporter that international basketball has had on the NBA bench. But in an 82-game campaign, the bill awaits around the corner.
According to the criteria of
Know more
