To the surprise of many, it has been the Los Angeles Lakers’ defense, not their offense, that has thrived since trading for superstar guard Luka Doncic. Despite only having one true center in the rotation in Jaxson Hayes, the Lakers have used their size on the perimeter, constant activity and great game planning to make life tough on the opposition.
This was something that seemed inconceivable when the trade first went down as Doncic’s defense has never been his strongest suit and Anthony Davis, who erased many of the Lakers’ mistakes, was sent away in the deal. But that hasn’t stopped the Lakers from being a force on the defensive end and Doncic gave his thoughts on why that is.
“I think everybody’s connected on the defensive end,” Doncic said. “There’s a lot of talk, a lot of communication, and then on the effort side everybody’s doing a good job.”
When it comes to defense, it is absolutely imperative that everybody is on the same page as one mistake by one player can ruin everything. As such communication is very important, as Doncic noted, and the Lakers have been great in that aspect thanks largely to both Hayes and LeBron James.
LeBron has been on another level defensively since the trade went through, really stepping up both on and off the ball and calling out everything he sees to ensure everyone is on one accord. It also helps that the Lakers have a number of role players who excel on that end with Dorian Finney-Smith, Jordan Goodwin, Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent all being excellent perimeter defenders.
With Doncic, James and Austin Reaves, the Lakers know their offense is in good hands with three top-tier creators making things happen. But it is their ability to get stops and create turnovers that makes this Lakers team so dangerous and a real championship contender.
Lakers Luka Doncic admits to having an alter ego on basketball court
Lakers fans are already enjoying the Luka Doncic experience to its fullest extent. Not only is Doncic dominant, but he puts on a show, constantly talking to the crowd and using it to his advantage to get himself more hyped during the game. But as he revealed, that is only a basketball thing as he is much quieter off the floor.
“Yeah, I would say I’m quiet off the court,” Doncic said. “It’s a little different. Basketball is what I do. It gets me hyped, it makes me happy. There’s an obvious change between me on the court and off it.”
It is tough to imagine that other side of Luka as he seems to play better the more hyped he gets, but basketball just brings out that alter ego inside him.
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