Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic is one of many NBA stars set to play for his country in the upcoming FIBA EuroBasket 2025 tournament. Stars such as Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks will also be participating, as will rising stars like 2024 top overall draft pick Zaccharie Risacher of the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner.
Wagner will be leading his native Germany alongside former Lakers point guard Dennis Schroder and they are one of the tournament favorites. In preparation for the tournament, Wagner and Germany faced off with Doncic and Slovenia in a pair of exhibition games and the Magic forward is very much aware of how difficult it is to contain Luka in any setting.
In an interview with FIBA Basketball, Wagner was asked what makes the Lakers’ superstar so special and he noted that Doncic is so versatile that it requires the entire team to defend him and even then, sometimes you just have to accept that he’s going to make tough shots:
“There are few players in the world as versatile or who can manipulate the game as well as he does offensively. You can’t just defend him with one player. You have to switch up the looks that you give him. And also be okay with him making some tough looks.
“Just try to make it hard and play against him one against five. And sometimes be okay and tip your hat with some tough plays,” said the German NBA star Wagner.
Some players are truly unstoppable and the best the defense can do is just to try and make life as difficult as possible, and Doncic is undoubtedly in that category. Whether he is suiting up for the Lakers or Slovenia, keeping Luka in check is a nearly impossible task and Wagner understands that.
Whether Wagner will see Doncic and Slovenia in the EuroBasket tournament itself remains unclear as Germany is in Group B while Slovenia is in Group D, meaning the only way they will potentially face off is in the elimination round assuming both make it to that point.
Lakers’ Luka Doncic avoids serious injury during tune-up vs. Latvia
There was a huge fear that Luka Doncic suffered a serious injury after a teammate fell into his knee during Slovenia’s exhibition against Latvia. Thankfully, the Lakers star avoided any major damage and was back on the court for Slovenia’s final two tune-up games against Great Britain and Serbia.
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