Luka Doncic failed to prevent the Los Angeles Lakers’ 116-113 defeat to the Minnesota Timber Wolves in Game 4, and placed them in the 3-1 hole of the series.
NBA analyst Zach Lowe has not refrained from rating Luka Doncic’s defensive shortcomings. He chose the Slovenian star as his weakness against Minnesota’s powerful and energetic attacks.
“He’s also defensively powerless from the ball,” Lowe said honestly on his podcast about Luka Donsic.
“How about trying to fight like in Game 1? And now you’ll be down 3-1 and probably head home.”
This criticism, which follows Don Sic throughout his career, highlights the weaknesses he has been exposed particularly in the Athletic Timberwolves in this playoff series.
Despite the Lakers’ defensive needs against Minnesota’s explosive offense, Donsic has struggled to provide resistance for that.
Donsic poured 38 points in Game 4, but Lowe pointed out another on the stats that suggests that the superstars are not having the typical impact as playmakers.
“One of the interesting stats for this series is that Luka only has 20 assists in four games, which isn’t that much for him,” explained Lowe.
For a player who averages 7.5 assists during the regular season with the Lakers, Donsic’s playmaking appears to have disappeared at the worst possible time.
His two assists in Game 4 represent a dramatic drop-off from his regular production, but his one assist performance in Game 1 was particularly surprising.
Lowe attributes this decline in part to the Lakers’ roster structure, particularly the lack of reliable pick-and-roll big names that Doncic has become accustomed to in Dallas with Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II.
“I think you feel he doesn’t have a diving man to some extent to get him to break the defense and get into his sweet spots,” Lowe pointed out.
Before Jaxson Hayes played just four minutes in Game 4 before leaving, Doncic lacked the vertical threat he had previously allowed to manipulate the defense and create opportunities for teammates.
The Lakers face elimination and will have to find answers to both Donsic’s defensive limitations and the issues of roster construction before Game 5.