Gary Payton believes that if Luka Donsic wants to be a better defensive player, he will have to do some serious reflections.
Luka Doncic is undoubtedly one of the most impressive offensive players in the NBA today. The Los Angeles Lakers guard is hardly stopped.
However, in his game, his defense has one obvious weakness. Just as Doncic is on the offensive edge, he is just as poor on the defensive side, but not.
Doncic picked up basketball at a very young age, so in theory, his foundation should be stronger at both ends. However, after playing professionally for these years, Luka has yet to score his mark as a defender.
What does he need to change in his game? Gary Payton, arguably the biggest defensive point guard in NBA history, gave a very interesting answer.
Speaking at a press conference at Budxnba House in Mumbai, Gary Payton explained what Luka Doncic can do to become a better defender.
Glove believes that if Donsic doesn’t put any effort into it, it won’t be possible to improve at all. He needs to be motivated and want to improve so that he can prove people wrong and become a great defender.
“Like I said, today I can put my hands on them and check their hands, so it’s different from when I played. We’re talking about Luka. You have to concentrate on doing defense.”
“Maybe that’s not good for him. He’s a scorer. If he puts a mind, tell him I’m camping with all the kids and that’s about doing defense. That’s a way of thinking, so I don’t want to play defense.”
“You need to have big hands and feet to do it. You have to be able to move. It’s a sacrifice to do it. That’s just the way it is. I don’t think Luka is a defensive player. He is a scorer.
“But does he want to do it? That’s not up to us. He’s an athlete. He has great abilities, but now I want to change it and prove that he’s wrong that he can defend.
Luka Doncic had a defensive rating of 111.6 last season. His 2024 defensive rating of 112.5 has improved slightly, but he was still shy about his career-high 106.5 rating from the 2021-22 season.
Ultimately, Luka Doncic’s defensive performance is tied to his fitness and weight management. If he is lighter and has better conditions, he will play better.
Perhaps this is why fans were excited to see Don Chic appear to lean in the Real Madrid game. However, not everyone agrees about the correlation between Donsic’s fitness and his defense.
Paul Pierce, a former teammate of Gary Payton, has raised similar points before, claiming Doncic must motivate him to play defense, not simply getting better.
Luka Doncic is preparing for the entire summer. Perhaps he can try to put on a fierce defense for Slovenian national team in the upcoming Eurobasket tournament.