Luka Doncic NEEDED This

[@earthdemon444]

The NBA media is always finding opportunities to poke holes in Luka's game no matter how good he is, I hate saying this but I think its hard for the NBA media to push a white unathletic European player as the face of the NBA which leads to prejudice against him despite his accolades.

[@nessdagoat]

He makes it kind of easy by giving zero effort on the defensive end and constantly arguing with the referees. That ain’t got nothing to do with a skin color.

[@meharr.]

well said

[@Book.of.Treason]

does jokic not exist?? hes white european and unathletic

[@deadlylightningspirit4295]

@@nessdagoatyour comment literally proves what he’s saying. Yeah if he gave 0 effort on defense the mavs wouldn’t of been a play off team and top 3 defense with him playing 38 minutes 😂😂 keep spreading the false narrative

[@jaysmith4357]

@@nessdagoatNah you wrong. Luka wasn’t a liability on defense for the whole season and the numbers back it up. People like you just ignore his offensive responsibilities and high usage due to the fact that besides Kyrie nobody else on the Mavs could create for themselves. Luka has to spoon feed them lobs or open three’s. He was also dealing with a sprained knee in the playoffs,an injury that kept Kawhi out of action in the playoffs before. Yet he still managed to lead his team to the finals going through the West without homecourt. Leading the playoffs in total points,rebounds,assists,& steals. Plz tell me who besides Lebron James in the past decade plus has been required to be the offensive engine that Luka is for the Mavs while also being a stopper on the other end? I’ll wait.

[@CDZNTZ]

Who the hell listens to Kendrick Perkins?

[@martavioustisby4942]

No Body

[@kjjr3270]

He not wrong though

[@Adux123]

I don't even think Kendrick Perkins listens to Kendrick Perkins

[@julianmontano18]

Kendrick Perkins

[@vlada]

I'd listen to a pile of 🐎 💩 before I'd listen to Jussie Perkins. I don't need drama queens and dumbdumbs like Keyshawn, SAS, Wright and all the rest of the soap opera performers at ESPN (not named Legler.) There are tons of 🏀 podcasts and KZbin shows from Thinking Basketball, the cartoons of Riot Comedy, this channel, commissioner dynamo, Bill Simmons, Rusillo, DNVR, Jimmy high roller, Coach Nick, No dunks/The Starters/Basketball Jones, Cowbell Kingdom, Smoove, Locked On network, Chaz NBA, to players own channels and all those reaction videos. Hell, you want drama? Flight Mike is your guy. ESPN is a non factor apart from love events I even turn off the sound when they do games and watch it in Spanish. What does ESPN offer me that I don't get online ? Legler also has a podcast (All NBA podcast), 4-5x week so I don't need ESPN for him. If anything there's almost too much online basketball content choice, the idea of listening to ESPN never crosses my mind.

[@hungo7720]

Discrediting and denigrating Luka is worst decision the media could have made. He will come back stronger this season and given the addition of Klay Thompson, the Mavs will be a legit championship contender.

[@berryesseen]

I wouldn't rely on Klay too much. He is not the old Klay anymore.

[@schmittiTV]

​@berryesseen his presence alone gives the threat if an easy 3 if they let him open meaning luka gets doubled less

[@Guah00]

@@berryesseen He's not nearly the player he used to be, but there are precedents in the league as to how he could help the team a lot. Ray Allen was old and out of his prime when he helped the Heat win the championship in 2013. The biggest question mark right now imo is how he'll react to having a diminished role on the team since Luka and Kyrie will be the starting backcourt.

[@berryesseen]

@@schmittiTV I think he's unplayable in the first team. He is gonna be used in the rotation.

[@schmittiTV]

@berryesseen he is better then dante the starting 5 will be either luka kyrie klay Washington and Garford or instead of garford lively

[@pwwamankament]

Luka injured. Media stupid. Luka is a phenom and he will be on mount Rushmore when it's all said and done.

[@roymurray2516]

So will Nikola jokic

[@Shawnjohson1608]

The problem this finals was kyrie vanished when the mavericks needed him the most. It didn’t help that Pj Washington’s lucky shots weren’t going in.

[@cvgodd1432]

They both got clamped up

[@bakedizzle24]

pj’s shots were schemed for in the okc series bc sga couldn’t guard him, wouldn’t really call that lucky

[@rainofkhandaq6678]

Same goes for Denver with Murray

[@milicevicgospodin]

No no, it's on Luka to do everything, even though he's the second best Maverick behind Kyrie's bag. Don't you follow the news man?

[@trollking4058]

Kyrie was weirdly awful in Boston but played great in Dallas. PJ'S shot wasn't luck since he proved it in 3 straight series. He stopped hitting because they stopped leaving him open in the corners.

[@OCLProductionz]

Luka had a great all around defensive year before he got injured right before the playoffs. Statistically he was the 9th best ISO Defender and legitimately top 2-3 best PG defender all season long. You can tell it just got too much that he had to take painkiller injections before each game, he needed to conserve energy more than ever too to facilitate and score but so he had to rely on team defense but Boston was just too good. If Dallas had faced a team like the 2023 heat and not a superteam they would’ve won but they lost so the narrative shifted again and just blame it all on Lukas defense when his literal teammates couldn’t make shots to save their lives and choked!

[@iamchaunceman]

He led all players in the playoffs in defensive win shares and steals. Above Tatum, Holiday, Brown etc. he was in the 82nd percentile for the regular season season. And usually has the highest defensive rating of all starting point guards. Yeah he doesn’t have the lateral speed but duh, look at his size. The hate has become ridiculous, it is good for one thing. Separating the casuals vs the hoops heads.

[@runthenumbers9698]

Anybody who thinks Dallas lost the Finals on Defense wasn't watching. We lost the finals because Kyrie didn't show up, and our shooters couldn't hit the broad side of a barn when dared.

[@abtocool6350]

Why do y’all just act like he was good offensively in the series when he objectively wasn’t. He averaged 29ppg but on 47/24/58 splits on 53% true shooting which is negative efficiency. Kyrie, Tatum, and brown didn’t have good scoring series either. Kyrie was worse but its just crazy how social media is quick to bash Kyrie as a scorer in that series while luka wasn’t good either.

[@ThePoxx]

@@abtocool6350 yo dumbas, if your team doesnt hit any shots, your perfect assists become the opponents rebounds, and you become inefficient trying to carry your brick ass teammates.

[@blicleak1101]

@@abtocool6350this is the finals. It gets ugly and percentages can dip. But scoring 12 ppg as Kyrie is PATHETIC. Luka gave his all and that is what you need to do. 29 ppg on 46% is actually AMAZING considering the circumstances

[@cvgodd1432]

Bro it was the defense!! They let Celtics drive and kick the whole series.

[@runthenumbers9698]

@@abtocool6350 Luka had a slightly below average series... which is acceptable. In fact, Luka had a ROCK STEADY, slightly below average PLAYOFFS! Only a couple kinda bad games... only a couple kinda good games... the rest of them right in that 30/9/9 range. It would've been nice to have a few signature Luka games where he goes off for nearly 50, but... at least he really didn't have many stinkers. I call this a difinitively average playoffs for Luka (which is of course, fantastic. He's the best player in the world). It was our shooters and Kyrie that failed us in the Finals.

[@RideAfterMidnight]

For those who didn't actually watch the last games, the biggest change between playoffs and finals was that the rest of the team were not hitting their shots like they were in the playoffs. Those extra points would've made all the difference. It looked like Luka was a hog if you look at the stats, but that is because an assist only counts if the ball goes in.

[@cvgodd1432]

They got clamped up. Stop acting like they just missed shots all of a sudden. Celtics won’t let bums score like that and your team is full of bums 😂.

[@Trillchris9607]

@@cvgodd1432You’re ignorant, Mavs missed way too many wide open shots created from Luka’s gravity… watch the games.

[@seppuku-]

@@cvgodd1432 Your speaking from your head dude, I grew in Boston i’m non biased. Mavs were missing WIDE open threes especially from the corner, that they normally would’ve made. Teams need experience for a ring, Celtics prove that. And that’s what the Mavs just got. They were also missing a consistent shooter, so Nico went and acquired the best catch and shoot player to ever pick up a basketball. Get ready cause it’s going to be a wild, wild west my friend.

[@seppuku-]

@@Trillchris9607 Facts, I grew up in Boston as well…. Currently live in TX now so i’m completely unbiased here, I like both franchises.

[@fourkambuchas8546]

@@cvgodd1432Casual

[@ericg4626]

This finals is the first time that both stars of a team have become more hated. It’s so wild to me.

[@6manYT]

Youre right lol

[@RiruKrypto_]

Nah these analysts were bashing my Celtics before the Finals began and praised Dallas too much, now they wanna switch up? lol

[@LikeWhyTF]

Traditional NBA Media is garbage 🚮 much rather watch videos like this

[@Joeshiesty286]

Yeah it’s trash. They credited everyone who’s ever scored 70 but him. Shit is laughable 😂

[@LikeWhyTF]

@@Joeshiesty286 shiesty af and not in a cool way like you smh - Perk wasn’t even that good tf

[@deadlylightningspirit4295]

He was injured. Ofc his defense was inconsistent. He was good last year.

[@Himmyjewett]

lets not lie

[@deadlylightningspirit4295]

@@Himmyjewett watch games casual instead of watching one series and talking out yo ass

[@seppuku-]

@@HimmyjewettTwelve total injuries during the 23-24 season. You’re so sour it’s obvious…

[@OCLProductionz]

@@Himmyjewett Luka had a great all around defensive year before he got injured right before the playoffs. Statistically he was the 9th best ISO Defender and legitimately top 2-3 best PG defender all season long. You can tell it just got too much that he had to take painkiller injections before each game, he needed to conserve energy more than ever too to facilitate and score but so he had to rely on team defense but Boston was just too good. If Dallas had faced a team like the 2023 heat and not a superteam they would’ve won but they lost so the narrative shifted again and just blame it all on Lukas defense when his literal teammates couldn’t make shots to save their lives and choked!

[@emilfrederiksen.1622]

@@Himmyjewett Mavs wouldn't be a top 3 defense post deadline if Luka was the worst defensive player of all time lol. Look at Trae Young if you want to see a guy who is a literal hole on that end of the court.

[@Goxilla]

He also had almost all summer to recover since he only played the qualifying tournament for the olympics and didn't make it.

[@NoahBrwn]

The fact that the media and these stupid NBA fans pointing out that the only reason the Mavs loss in the Finals is because of Luka's defense and not pointing out that Kyrie never showed up, the whole team aside from Luka shot less than 20% from 3 and literally no production from the bench is ridiculous. The media can say stupid shit and target one person just to push narratives

[@MistressOP]

And that's why Luka will probably never retain good help. Instead of actualing pointing out the problems of Luka and why hes always out of shape, which is dangerous for NBA players with the number of games. Never giving 100% like top talent he's always compared to. But instead MAvs always make it about everyone else. Really sums everything up. Luka needs help. Luka needs blah blah blah. But Luka isn't even giving 100% so why is anyone else on his team doing the same. Lazy ruins things. You can say a lot about Kobe, or Jordan, or hell Steph Curry but you know what 100%. Always doing dang near everything in there power to give 100% first in line.

[@abtocool6350]

Acting like luka had a good scoring series isn’t ideal either, none of the stars in the finals had good scoring series, luka averaged 29 ppg but on 47/24/58 splits on 53% true shooting which is under the average in the playoffs which results to negative efficiency. Luka didn’t have a good scoring series but kyrie was just worse and brown and Tatum didn’t have good scoring series either.

[@MistressOP]

@@abtocool6350 29 in a final is good, not super star nutso level but it's the finals. druant has something like 30ppg and for someone like luka who's game for as hard as he is that's good. but again the man is bottom 5 defense and his condition injury or not isn't great.

[@abtocool6350]

@@MistressOPit’s a lot of points but he didn’t do it efficiently, his efficiency was objectively negative in that series.

[@lenzoltan]

@@MistressOP Imagine Magic Johnson instead ob Kareem, J Worthy playing with PJ Washington , DJJ, Gafford who were all bench players on Lottery teams LMFAO.

[@iamgats9216]

Celtics were attacking him on D to tire him out, his defense isn't that great but he's decent if he actually tries.

[@mamatmatheaw3135]

Indeed. People act luka a good defender lol 😂😂😂 he is not, but he is a great play maker and scorer

[@AndrewL31413]

Bostons strategy to attack him is not because he’s bad. Not ones saying he’s elite on defense but you can’t run the offense playing 40+ minutes as the only guy that showed up and also be great at defense. This was the problem. Luka was fine on defense the whole playoffs. The media never got the context of the situation. He was worn out from carrying the offense.

[@cvgodd1432]

Stop it bro they attacked him because he’s slow. In other series other teams had non shooters so you can hide Luka. Celtics got 8 shooters who can hit 3s at a high clip! No where to hide now! 😂

[@AndrewL31413]

@@cvgodd1432 he guarded people just fine all playoffs. Celtics did just have too many weapons. He’s not as slow as people think. I’m guessing you’re a Boston fan and didn’t watch them come out of the west. He was solid as a defender. Celtics was smart to attack the only guy carrying the offense on defense

[@AndrewL31413]

@ybwkel5836 Dallas had a much tougher road to the finals, this is an undeniable fact. He guarded players like PG and Harden and SGA just fine. He was solid most of the playoffs. Even PG said what I said. He’s not an elite defender but he can play defense if he’s focused. It’s just when he’s carrying offensive load and being targeted on defense that he can really struggle.

[@seppuku-]

I was at that early in season Thunder matchup when they made 30 points in a row. He was definitely more agile for sure. But it’s his bulkiness and quick stops that make him almost impossible to guard, he’s got to find the sweet spot.

[@rob.parsnips]

I think it’s hard to play like Luka on offense and still have the energy to be a great perimeter defender, so I don’t fault him too much. He could be in better shape though, and even just that one change could help his defense, and his off-ball offense too.

[@emilfrederiksen.1622]

He could give a little more usage up to Kyrie and the role players to play more defense tho he doesn't have to rely on Spencer Dinwiddie and Tim Hardaway Jr anymore.

[@cvgodd1432]

Stop it. JB and JT played both sides at an elite level. They’re in tip top shape, you’ll never see those 2 tired!

[@MavDon-qc9tc]

@@cvgodd1432those 2 will never be 5% of the offensive player Luka is

[@markcarey67]

Having Klay Thompson on a revenge tour will also help. Klay is still one of the best shooters in the world when he gets his feet set and doesn't try to play hero ball which I don't think Luka will let him do. he got away with it in Golden State the last season because of his legacy there.

[@Optimizki]

Elite stuff as alway. So pumped for this season. Go Mavs!

[@milank.1509]

Im usualy not the person who leaves comments, but just want to let you know, even from the other side of the world, and at 2 am ! I still love to see when you roll out videos likes this, keep up the awsome work ! Great Video as always !!

[@brandonperez2267]

Great video. I think Luka will greatly benefit from a full offseason this year. Not qualifying for the Olympics was a blessing.

[@emilfrederiksen.1622]

Tatum was because of Corny comments and Luka was because he was average but his whole team was shit and got no critique especially Kyrie was horrible in that series.

[@MimieThalie]

​@@emilfrederiksen.1622Kyrie didn't support pression 😢😢.

[@iamchaunceman]

I think is hilarious that OKC fans usually hate on Luka saying he’s a ball hog and he dribbles too much. Nice to have receipts showing SGA is top two in that category while Luka was tenth. Brunson and SGA are rarely get the hate Luka does and yet they do the exact thing that casuals blame Luka for. OKC fans are great fans, but terribly ignorant. Well.. the ones who speak the loudest are.

[@VikCain]

Lukas worst stat is number of functioning legs, 1.5

[@skywalker2759]

So let me get this correct y’all want him to not only put up over seven rebounds a game lead the team and scoring and put up 30 points a game but also played the best defense on the team? Nobody has ever done that before no player in NBA history has ever won a championship doing everything. The closest we have ever seen that is Magic Johnson and LeBron James everyone else had help and then got drafted to a team with multiple Hall of Famer LeBron took a team to the finals at the age of 22 years old and y’all want an NBA player to win by themselves when it’s never been done someone please comment and tell me how does that make sense?

[@idontlikeuidiot2060]

That’s exactly what people expect of embiid

[@lukacvitkovic8550]

On point

[@luqmanloki4803]

Gotta love that finals tho. The stars of BOTH TEAMS became more hated after the final game.😂😂

[@mamatmatheaw3135]

Lol i think so. But JB not too hated than Tatum, Kyrie and luka

[@johnway8819]

Luka had a great defensive season...?! He was great until he got injured which was the play offs sadly.

[@onlyfacts3178]

he lead the play-offs and finals in steals and blocks

[@cryptidian3530]

Keep poking the bear, keep doing it. You know what happens when you poke the bear. You get ripped to shreads.

[@pg13pacernation30]

I feel like Luka wining the regular season MVP this season and possibly get back to the finals again possibly OKC but one those two teams.

[@dirtyhiggins5484]

Watching Luka play every game is worth the price for NBA League Pass. This will be my 4th year getting it just for that reason.

[@emilfrederiksen.1622]

Funny how Lemedia never critiques Lebrons or Currys defense only Lukas. Also Luka defense has been bad many years because he had to carry the whole Mavs offense now that he has Kyrie he can put more effort into defense same with Kyrie now that he has Luka. Also Luka was banged up and tired in that Celtics series which maybe why he was bad on defense.

[@thetwiggamingchannel9578]

Random but I once heard someone describe Luka as a "switchable defender" which is funny to me because he does have the size to theoretically guard forwards and hold off bigs but he's still a negative in any matchup, so is he really switchable then?

[@Shawnjohson1608]

Yes due to his frame, just needs to give an effort on defense side.

[@OCLProductionz]

Luka had a great all around defensive year before he got injured right before the playoffs. Statistically he was the 9th best ISO Defender and legitimately top 2-3 best PG defender all season long. You can tell it just got too much that he had to take painkiller injections before each game, he needed to conserve energy more than ever too to facilitate and score but so he had to rely on team defense but Boston was just too good. If Dallas had faced a team like the 2023 heat and not a superteam they would’ve won but they lost so the narrative shifted again and just blame it all on Lukas defense when his literal teammates couldn’t make shots to save their lives and choked!

[@Aceathon]

He's actually literally a positive according to defensive EPM.

[@thetwiggamingchannel9578]

@@Aceathon oh that's actually really interesting because in my observations he did seem like a positive pre-postseason, maybe he can turn around the narrative the way Jokic did

[@emilfrederiksen.1622]

Luka was amazing in every single series defensively but the Celtics series lol people also forget he was banged up.

[@leonardo_mrll]

it went from : "he is a ball hog and not a winning player" (reaches the wcf in 2022) he is neva reaching the finals (does that indeed) oh but he neva winning the chip and he is still a ball hog ( brunson has a time on the ball per possession higher than luka yet he is praised for carrying ny, and shai take more drinbles per touch than luka) "oh he cries a lot" litterally players like booker, bron, embiid all cry and flop just like him but now he is the one that is unbearable for it.... for those who still argue about his defense just only watched the finals this season where he had an all star caliber player on him 48 minutes trying to tire him out and does not know that he was amazing defensively against minessota and okc, + i can give you multiple stat about why he is a decent to hood defender but onky if you guys will actually learn from it and not just ignore them

[@chaosv1123]

The Celtics team was so good last season. All of their players could shoot 3s quite effectively and they were all solid on defense. The only way the Mavs would've won the series was if Kyrie and Luka averaged 30ppg and PJ Washington averaged 15ppg. Kyrie was definitely underwhelming but the Celtics team as a whole were just perfectly made for the championship last season.

[@LateOctober]

Lesson learned, let luka enjoy his beer

[@ClanDWoolz]

Love how the media didn't point out him being injured.

[@donlitt]

If he gets his conditioning in check, he’s the best player in the world

[@FrankSmith]

When the rest of your team is playing like hot garbage, and yes you're as amazing as Luka - BUT injured the entire time in the Play Offs literally makes it a recipe for a loss in the Finals. It was a miracle they made it to the Finals honestly considering how injured Luka actually was and how terrible the rest of the team played. I absolutely adore watching the Mavs, and I really do not mean any hate but their shot from 3 was trash in finals, where did Kyrie go? Sure, Luka isn't the best on defense but the dude is literally single handedly carrying their offense most games while visibly bleeding most games on his legs... The rest of the Mavs need to show up this season consistently for them to really win this time!

[@vic1ous511]

Mavs got deeper but less firm on the perimeter. Celtics on the other hand were and remained a literal "cheat code" I mean IDK how they got Jrue but they are perhaps even unbeatable as is 🤔

[@emilfrederiksen.1622]

Celtics also played only injured teams in the playoffs i would like to see them against a fully healthy Knicks Bucks or even Miami team in the playoffs.

[@burnsteinz6]

Can’t wait for the season to start!

[@bookaufman9643]

Klay Thompson was 4th in the League last year with three-pointers made. Is percentage was down at 38.7% but he was still pretty damn elite. The Warriors are going to miss that 3-point efficiency from that position. Slo-mo Kyle Anderson is not a great upgrade. I like a couple of the other pickups but they are going to have a hard time being better than last year. They're going to need a real breakout season from that second guard position.

[@NoWayBro88]

Luka's D was not the problem in the finals. The fact nobody was making open shots, and the Celtics made it a point to take away the lobs is what killed them. Plus, the Celtics were just better 1-7.

[@leenamin3099]

Saying you’re a “hole” on defense when you lead the playoffs in rebounds and steals is crazyyyyy

[@nikki-op4xj]

it wasnt me who pointed it out and to bad u didnt mention Klay usually takes contested shots . i am not sure 100% on statistics but it was nuts now with guys like kye and luka who are they gonna double ? u gonna leave klay alone ? we may see klay do some crazy stuff i realize injuries and crappy last game ... everyone is allowed to have crap game bron had one in the finals ... you dont get to decide when your shots dont fall ... still great vid as always man .

[@kirby671]

I hope Klay can step up for this team, but I'm worried he may not be the elite defender he used to be.

[@bookaufman9643]

I was looking at the three-point shooting stats and forgot what kind of crazy year Grayson Allen had. He was one away from being a 50/40/90 guy with a 47% 3pt percentage. It wasn't on a low amount of shots either because he was 21st in the league in 3-pointers made. That guy has been a very valuable NBA player which is kind of shocking if you saw him as a rookie. Also he's mostly stopped the stupid bullshit or at least he did last year.😊

[@Nix-qq5je]

People wonder why Jokic and Luka only see the NBA as work. The disrespect they get is deeply rooted and it's not about basketball.

[@yanholliday8876]

tv analysts, no matter the sport, are the definition of recency bias. it doesn't matter how great you've been all season, or all your career, you mess up once in one game, and bam!, you're a liability, a bad asset, a chocker... oh, and it's your fault your team didn't win, too, and your fault *only* , because in a team sport, somehow, you're supposed to win by yourself ? that "scapegoat" part may be the worst of all media treatment in my eyes. and it's not only the nba, either, look at the way nfl media treats quarterbacks, or how star soccer players somehow are the lone responsibles for their entire teams bad performances. it's stupid. it's stories made up to have a subject to hammer on between matches, otherwise they'd have nothing to talk about. it drives me nuts.

[@Avian07]

The level of glazing by the media Edwards got by accomplishing nothing is the opposite Luka is getting. It's actually beyond insane.

[@angelrivera-sj6gk]

If Luka was drafted in Golden State, the warriors would have 10 championships at least!

[@geirhelgason6535]

The media is also quick to trash players for not playing through injuries , but when they do and they don't move the same, then it's ohh he's trash. Luka was more injured then the media made out to be imo

[@plebtile3347]

The media being negative about Luka? Must be a day that ends in... Day.

[@liftbread]

bro what the fuck was that BLATANT travel by klay at 5:34 LMFAO

[@bookaufman9643]

I think you can make the case that you'd rather see SGA handling the ball. I'm not saying that it's true but there's definitely a case there.

[@oliverlangrall2014]

I think not being injured throughout the playoffs should get him that 5% 😂

[@davidgibson4007]

Yeah exactly he needs to be in much better shape

[@JUDGE_MNTAL]

They did great for there first finals together within only fucking 2 year! Is insane to think about. They treating luka like they did kyrie after leaving bron. Its ridiculous like he didnt just play his heart out while being hurt and im a kyrie fan. Im not gonna blame kyrie fully because i think he had two really good ganes. But he definitely didnt play his best basketball because they played him the same way they did back when he was on bk. If they get one they beet scorers out that changes the whole dyamic of a game. But if you have three scorers and now one that plays defense pretty fucking solid now the league in trouble. He van take alot the pressure off thats what lead the nets almost to easy championship. If kyrie didnt get hurt once they got harden they breezed through thr league.

[@PreparingTheWayForTheLord]

Basketball people are sometimes confusing I don’t understand how they keep blaming Luka when he was the only one that actually turned up for the NBA finals When the other players didn’t like kyrie and the other players who kept missing shots while the celtics had players who made them shots And a Center who could not only defend but also be threat on both ends of the court Do people actually watch the game I’m so confused 😂

[@omaracosta100]

He done all that and you expect him to also be a good defender

[@emilfrederiksen.1622]

Put less effort into offense and more effort into defense now that he actually has help he can do that.

[@cvgodd1432]

Yes bro. For the money gets getting I expect some effort on defense. It’s not just scoring!

[@omaracosta100]

His defended better

[@akishawnn]

might be a hot take but if luka gets his defense right this offseason and keeps improving it he might be top 5 oat by the end of his career

[@mediamannaman]

Luka just needs to rest, get his body right, and maybe lose a few pounds. That will give his defense the boost it needs. I'm a Spurs fan, so it is hard to say this, but Dallas could be right back in the Finals this season.

[@Gorkville]

The biggest issue with Luka is his incessant whining and his deplorable defensive effort that cost his team a game or 2 in the finals

[@_ben_miller]

i don't think any amount of offensive improvement will make his lack of quickness be coverable. maybe he should guard forwards more, slower players.

[@remmborn8154]

his quickness isnt an issue defensively lmao Every stat says Luka’s not a bad isolation defender infact if u were to point out Luka’s strongest defensive trait, its isolation and post up defense ppl just assume (wrongly) that the fat slow guy is bad at that hes not His defensive weaknesses are 90% offball, he messes up rotations and gets caught ball watching alot Also he guards forwards 99% of the time so idk where u might have thought he doesnt the only time Luka was getting “blown by” and consistently outdone on isolation defense was the finals but i think thats more of a contextual thing than anything lol Turns out the guy with a grade 2 knee sprain and a thoracic contusion probably isnt going to hold up too well defensively esp when u also ask him to be responsible for over 60% of ur teamates points Mavs medical staff even said he shouldnt have even been allowed to run for extended periods of times and that any other player would have been shut down for multiple weeks instead they resorted to constantly injecting him with cortisol throughout the playoffs just to survive

[@seppuku-]

He was statistically #1 in ISO PPP (points per possession) in the the paint last season. Like this previous commenter said most of his problems on D are off ball, like fighting over a screen or attempting a quick contest when there’s to much space. He’s an underrated on ball defender, he sustained twelve total injures last season and still played regardless. Never once complained about the pain or the blood…

[@seppuku-]

@@remmborn8154Well said brother.

[@OCLProductionz]

Luka had a great all around defensive year before he got injured right before the playoffs. Statistically he was the 9th best ISO Defender and legitimately top 2-3 best PG defender all season long. You can tell it just got too much that he had to take painkiller injections before each game, he needed to conserve energy more than ever too to facilitate and score but so he had to rely on team defense but Boston was just too good. If Dallas had faced a team like the 2023 heat and not a superteam they would’ve won but they lost so the narrative shifted again and just blame it all on Lukas defense when his literal teammates couldn’t make shots to save their lives and choked!!

[@vic1ous511]

I knew he was injured but not THAT injured. Man, he held his ground like a gladiator if that's the case 🤔

[@ShareefusMaximus]

That's a charge.

[@ShareefusMaximus]

The Celtics were better. That's not Luka's fault. He's better than any player on the Celtics roster. People give the team star too much credit and blame for the teams successes and failures. 7 good players have to play well to win a championship. And they still won't if the other team's 7 is better and play better.

[@gigiarcay]

Naaaah, celtics will still display their defensive prowess

[@nicgalano854]

They need center that can shoot 3 😁

[@icyyy_sg3682]

The injury excuses are so ridiculous by people

[@keir.]

if mavs win the chip tatum will get a lot of hate by the media. lol.

[@NanoBudgie]

Is he at a point that he is so much better than peoples favorite players. So they hunt for a reason to try and downplay his greatness.

[@neo.basketball]

The mavs are gonna be a problem

[@bookaufman9643]

Damn. Dame was shooting at or below League average.😊

[@peykashoe]

I would have traded for Dillon Brooks too.

[@bigbangbasketball]

Luka for DPOY next year? 🌚

[@hu6284]

2 way is important

[@Jean-om1ok]

LeBron passing the torch to Luka

[@onlyfacts3178]

LUKA already took that on his rookie season

[@Jean-om1ok]

@@onlyfacts3178 smoking

[@MossyRock-g9i]

IF Luka goes MJ/Kobe psycho conditioning mode, it's all over. IF he is in

[@Lionheart831]

Why are you trying to compare Luka to MJ and Kobe. He's not even on the same league as those two.

[@MossyRock-g9i]

@@Lionheart831 Read the post again. I said if Luka takes his conditioning as seriously Mj/Kobe did, he would win the MVP. I didn’t directly compare them. Your reading comprehension is certainly not on the same level as mine.

[@Lionheart831]

​@@MossyRock-g9i It seems like you were drawing a comparison between Luka and two of the greatest basketball players. If Luka were to develop Michael Jordan's killer instinct, Kobe Bryant's Mamba mentality, and LeBron James' remarkable longevity, he could potentially become the true face of the NBA one day. However, I don’t see him in that light. He appears unwilling to sacrifice elements of his stat-padding playstyle for the betterment of the team, and I also believe he’s not as fully committed to addressing his weaknesses as many people assume.

[@MossyRock-g9i]

@@Lionheart831 We are in some agreement. I see his weaknesses as relying on talent and not putting in the work on his conditioning, yapping too much to the refs, and not getting back on D. He has to decide what he wants to be. If he takes it as far as he actually can-not just as far as he feels or thinks he can-he has the God-given talent to be, at least, a top-ten offensive talent. And that is being conservative. There is a reason he is both Jordan and LeBron's favorite player and they fought over having him on their shoe labels.

[@Lionheart831]

​@@MossyRock-g9i We will assess Luka Dončić's capabilities to determine if he truly meets the high expectations many have for him. If he proves to be as outstanding as reputed, that will be commendable; otherwise, we will accept the outcomes as they come.

[@Scops9554]

the same sort of thing happened to Kobe. Look where he got.

[@kjjr3270]

Luka a better player, but getting a ring in this era is definitely harder

[@MimieThalie]

​@@kjjr3270so right, no one seems to see that the level of all the teams has improved and that the days when 2 or 3 teams were well above the rest wich allowed them to have such results.

[@johannbogason1662]

"...you need to be perfect" BS

[@Kwansmusic]

What the hell are they talking about, I saw the, they played not perfect but still good defence,

[@MimieThalie]

They discredite him to not give him the MVP this season, even if his play offs confirmed he was the MVP. He desserved it next season but they give it to Joker to compensate for the one he desserved in 2023..luka and Shaï will never have MVP they want to give it to Ant next season. 😢😢. Nothing else with this 💩 chanels. He had numerous injuries, underwent punctures, infiltrations, took a ton of cortisone and took his team in finale, and it's him who is accused of having made his team lose when his team-mates literrally collapsed and he had to care them at arm's lenght ? It seems to me that this 💩 medias had already said that about Joker, no ? And frankly, accusing Europeans players to not knowing how to defend is so pitiful especially consedering the NBA's rules.. This biaised medias are always more pitiful and ridiculous 🤮🤬🤬🤬🤬 '

[@Nanyiroful]

Luka lose his focus too much, if he can stay focus no the game, all his game (def/off) is in GOT level

[@---tr9qg]

Luka need to learn how to defence 😉. Defence win championship, not offence.

[@BestShootermanUbz]

Video reeks of Luka fanboyism.

[@antihero8603]

Nice.

[@CuboEdits]

Jesus loves you ❤😊

[@riceontopstew]

or 5% skinnier

[@prestoCreams]

Nba wland Stephanie gay Smith folwers will just say anything stupid to deny Luka and jokic greatness, next year they will hype more wemby who got cooled ny a 5'8 japanese and cheated to win against japan, will hype up free throw Alexander and jordan now luka son antman. They will say anything and these stupid clowns and casuals will follow what they hear. Despite this video, they will find a way to hate.

[@pedromaziluprata6712]

he went to the finals while injured. i'd be very surprised if they're not in the finals this year again with a summer of rest for Luka.

[@cvgodd1432]

Excuses 😂

[@pedromaziluprata6712]

@@cvgodd1432 shocked if they dont get to the finals !

[@D2RGGBuilds]

Mfer you play defense on a bum knee!

[@ryanlambert1265]

Defense??? 😂 No one has ever called Luka a defensive stopper!!! 😅😂😂

[@Joeshiesty286]

3 rounds of Luka holding opponents to 30% shooting. Jokic got cooked by the Wolves cuz his defense was far worse but I bet you didn’t call him out on that. Thats cuz guys like you get your information from SAS lol

[@OCLProductionz]

Luka had a great all around defensive year before he got injured right before the playoffs. Statistically he was the 9th best ISO Defender and legitimately top 2-3 best PG defender all season long. You can tell it just got too much that he had to take painkiller injections before each game, he needed to conserve energy more than ever too to facilitate and score but so he had to rely on team defense but Boston was just too good. If Dallas had faced a team like the 2023 heat and not a superteam they would’ve won but they lost so the narrative shifted again and just blame it all on Lukas defense when his literal teammates couldn’t make shots to save their lives and choked!

[@ryanlambert1265]

@JERWINIVANCORBETA 🤣🤣🤣 Lukas defense has always been garbage! His fans are delusional. His shooting is streaky too...he just hogs the ball to get most of the fg attempts. He did better with Kyrie but he isn't all the hype yall won't him to be. Stop it

[@ryanlambert1265]

@@Joeshiesty286 Who is this video about? 🤦

[@amrbasri68]

Klay isn't the same after getting injured, so idk how much he'll be able to bring to the team.

[@donlitt]

I will be that guy, injury or not, there’s no excuse for packing on 10 15 20 pounds during the season. He needs a better diet

[@MimieThalie]

He doesn''t need a better diet but that at 26 he already has a veteran carrier behind him and if he can still play, then he has his recurring sprain since 2017, it's precisely because he does an enormous physical work, has an healthy lifestyle and is an enormous force of nature. Who, apart from him, could have played with 12 injuries the season and suffered everythings he suffered, infiltrations punctures, etc ? Tell yourself that if he seems to gain weight during the season it's because of the cortisone wich he must take.

[@donlitt]

@@MimieThalie bro he needs a better diet it’s called stop drinking beer and he’d be able to run faster, longer, less weight and stress on his joints 😂 😂

[@MimieThalie]

@@donlitt he doesn't drink beer.. You've seen a video after a game or during the offseason and you judge him.. 😤😤..the fact is that he played more than others with their 💉..run faster, what a joke 😂😂..

[@donlitt]

@@MimieThalie yes he drinks he was literally drinking a beer in the locker room and he probably also eats unhealthy more than he should, which is way he gains weight during the season, it’s common sense, if he was in better shape he’d have less injuries and could try harder on defense therefore improving his defense.

[@MimieThalie]

@@donlitt so pitiful 😂😂😂

[@fusehchan4775]

dang first for once

[@6manYT]

My guy

[@porterwake3898]

He needs a trainer, a weight set, and a track to run on.

[@jameswong7061]

Luka needs to 1. reduce weight 2. stop ONLY creating foul as his STEP 1 3. stop crying for foul & gve up D 3. improved his D we all know that the reff not giving flop foul in the Finals, whether it is legit or not (of course some are). it tooks LUKA untill G5 to realized that reff is not giving flop/creating foul , and u are definitely not getting any from crying for foul calls. Luka only stop crying untill G5, but he still turning his heads back & steering at reff while still giving up the immediate D...... seriously, i hope Luka can reduce these CREATING foul as his STEP 1, he can do many things, he is talented, but that's something i personally view "killing" his game when he meet good D team like Celtics, where the D not gonna jump on u, Luka wasting too many times creating foul... end up he's using his face to kiss defender's chest to creating space & ditch out difficult timing &makes his teamate forced to quick release or turnovers. it took Luka untill G5 to realized & concentrate on skipping the STEP 1 = creating foul (well, mostly) . i think he should less react with reff & concentrate on his others scoring skills.

[@champstation143]

Unpopular opinion but lets say Luka goes up for a 1v1 comparison against for example Jaylen Brown. He can score most of his chances against Jaylen but he can barely guard any possessions against Jaylen. If you play like this you are not the better player of the two. Lets make it more "mathematically": If you are 100% of the max scoring ability and 40% of the max defence you are an average of 70%. If the other guys is 90% of the max scoring and 70% of the max defence he got an average of 80%. So him > you.

[@GaiusPrimusMatius]

Third😂😂😂

[@SuperApex93]

Third

[@edgarsnake2857]

Luka didn't need to be perfect, but he should have at least been in shape. C'mon Luka, this is the pros. When it gets to the finals, teams are going to be playing elite defense...like the Celtics did. I hope you're in the gym right now because that's part of what it takes.

[@Joeshiesty286]

Elite defense? Triple teaming Luka and Kyrie and allowing DJJ and other poor shooters to brick like always is elite defense? Yes he can be in better shape, but that’s not why they lost. Celtics won cuz they were playing 5 against 2. It took the Celtics having a billion dollar team to beat an injured Luka, Kyrie, and below average role players. Klay alone won’t allow them to triple team like they did cuz he’s cash from 3.

[@OCLProductionz]

Luka had a great all around defensive year before he got injured right before the playoffs. Statistically he was the 9th best ISO Defender and legitimately top 2-3 best PG defender all season long. You can tell it just got too much that he had to take painkiller injections before each game, he needed to conserve energy more than ever too to facilitate and score but so he had to rely on team defense but Boston was just too good. If Dallas had faced a team like the 2023 heat and not a superteam they would’ve won but they lost so the narrative shifted again and just blame it all on Lukas defense when his literal teammates couldn’t make shots to save their lives and choked!!

[@kjjr3270]

You really think Luka is not in shape? If you so in shape why are you not in the NBA?

[@MimieThalie]

​@@kjjr3270people forget that he has a veteran carrier behind him 😢

[@DarkShrimpQuest]

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