Luka Doncic He has shone in these Playoffs. Average 28.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.8 assistshis best record in the postseason, all while playing with a sore knee.
What makes his feat even more impressive is that he has faced an onslaught of the best defenders in the league, who have thrown everything they can at him. The Minnesota Timberwolves tried every coverage possible, and he destroyed them all.
One of those coverages is a big mistake, according to LeBron James. That’s how it is How LeBron would defend Luka if it were the rival coach.
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LeBron James’ advice to defend Luka Doncic
Don’t put pressure on Doncic
LeBron gave his opinion on the best way to defend Doncic during his Mind the Game podcast. The number one advice he gave was avoid blitzthat is, press it.
The blitz is a coverage that consists of sending two players on Luka. The Timberwolves used him frequently in the Conference Finals. As LeBron predicted, it didn’t work out well at all.
“I don’t understand it, especially with the shooters around him. It doesn’t make sense”LeBron told his co-host JJ Redick. “He’s going to make all the right reads.”
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The Wolves’ decision to tighten Luka was not novel. He was by far the most pressured player in the league, because teams will do anything to get the ball out of his hands. The Lakers also attempted the blitz against Luka earlier in the year, much to LeBron’s chagrin. “Dante Exum scored five or six triples for us”he pointed.
The Celtics may end up following LeBron’s advice. They are one of the least blitzing teams, relying on their players to quickly fight off screens and recover in place.
If the blitz is not the solution, what is?
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Mix up defensive plans
The key to stopping Luka is to prevent him from knowing what is coming.
“You have to mix the toppings. How you fold it, when you fold it”Redick said. LeBron agreed with this philosophy, and both gave details on how to change things.
One of the approaches they both highlighted was that when sending two defenders to Luka, it is vital to change the location and timing of the double attacks.
“Is it on the dribble, is it on the catch?”. LeBron asked. “Is it coming from the baseline or the [centro de la pista]?”Redick added.
Avoiding the blitz comes with its own problems. The other coverages don’t work all that well either, as Redick pointed out.
“Atlanta decided not to blitz Doncic because they were worried about the consequences and he scored 73 [puntos]”Redick said.
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Switch
The best approach to defending Doncic is probably to switch on all screens. But that largely depends on having players of the same size who are capable of making the trade.
“There are certain teams that can make lineups with many changes”Redick noted. “You need the personnel and you have to be able to trust certain players.”
This makes the Celtics a great defense to go against Doncic. Everyone in his starting five other than Kristaps Porzingis can switch effectively, which limits the combination of screens Doncic can use. And if the Mavericks try to get Porzingis to trade Doncic, the Celtics can combat that to some extent by pre-trading.
Al Horford is also too slow to switch on Luka, but he has had a little success in those matchups during the Regular Season. Doncic was just 3 of 10 against Horford, according to NBA tracking data.
Drop
The Celtics will also mix in a lot of drop defense against Luka, positioning Horford and Porzingis closer to the basket. That hasn’t been a great option against Doncic, because he’s vulnerable to his 3-point shooting and the mid-range attempts that he and Kyrie Irving excel at. But it’s the coverage that the team’s centers feel most comfortable in, and they had the league’s No. 2 defense using it a lot during the Regular Phase.
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At the end of the day, Luka is going to overcome all the coverage they throw at him. But he will overcome some of them more easily than others.
“What are we willing to receive, rather than what are we seeking to hold back?”LeBron asked Redick. “You can’t stop great players. You just wait for them to fail and take your hat off.”
The Celtics may have to live with Horford and Porzingis trying to stay ahead of Doncic from time to time, and they may also have to live with Doncic making the same tough shots he’s already made throughout these Playoffs. He has made every center he has faced look like Bambi. That’s still better than any other alternative.
2024-06-01 12:00:02
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