In today’s era of NBA basketball, it can be argued that Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic is the most difficult player to defend in a 1-on-1 setting. Despite not being the best athlete, Doncic has proven time and time again that he can get to any spot on the court he wants and knock shots over the best defenders the league has to offer.
AJ Dybantsa was the number one overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and the forward not only projects to be an excellent scorer, but also a potentially elite perimeter defender. He has also been fortunate enough to see Doncic perform in person and now that he’s in the league, he wants to face off with him on the court to see if it really is that easy for the Lakers star.
“I just want to be on a defensive end and just see,” Dybantsa said in an appearance on the Road Trippin Show. “I mean, I might be a part of it. Obviously, I might get hit with a little bump, but I just want to see how easy it is or if it’s that easy… I just want to be on like an ISO island. This sounds crazy, but I want to be on an ISO island and just really see like if he’s moving that slow. If a couples months go by and he does a step-back 3 on me and talks s— to the crowd…”
To really want to face off with Doncic 1-on-1 like that says a lot about the mindset of Dybantsa as he truly wants to test himself against the best and see if he can hold up. Like he said, Doncic appears to be moving slow, but always is able to get where he wants and the rookie wants to see if Doncic can do the same to him as effortlessly as he does everyone else.
Doncic will gladly oblige him whenever the Lakers take on the Washington Wizards this season and Dybantsa will surely get some advice from his teammates such as Trae Young and former Laker Anthony Davis on what to do. But no matter what he’s told, the chances of Doncic getting to his stepback and knocking down a 3-pointer in his face is very high.
Luka Doncic 100% healthy from hamstring injury
After having last season ended early due to a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, Doncic recently announced that he is 100% recovered and healthy.
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