By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Luka Doncic has started the NBA Regular Season with incredible offensive numbers, averaging 34 points, 9 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game, but he has shown some progress on his defense as well.
As The Dallas Morning News stated, he’s ninth in the NBA for deflections per game (3.3), he’s leading the league in loose balls (1.4) and he’s currently fourth in steals per game (1.8). Also, his defensive win-shares estimate of 1.0 ties him for fourth-best in the league.
The Dallas Mavericks superstar talked about his improvements on the defensive end. “People are not going to admit it, but I think this year I’ve really taken a big step. I don’t need people to believe; I believe in myself. I think I’ve been playing defense way better than in the first four years and I think I’ve taken a huge step forward”, he said.
Then, the former Real Madrid player said he didn’t feel comfortable at the beginning of the 2021-22 Regular Season. “The start of last season for me was very bad. I was out of shape. It just wasn’t me. I didn’t play well. So I took that as a motivation for this season”, he added.
Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd talked about Luka Doncic’s defensive abilities as well. “He wants to guard guys with the ball. And so that helps our defense, but we’re also still in the mode of protecting one another. That’s how we’re built defensively. That doesn’t mean that Luka’s always on the ball, or we’re always helping when he’s on the ball. He’s coming up with those steals on the backside, which shows that he’s engaged”, he said.
“I really, really enjoy coaching him. He’s been great to be around and teach and work with”, he added about the 23-year-old Slovenian NBA superstar.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images