Basketball Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade explained how the Los Angeles Lakers coaching staff, led by JJ Redick, can make Luka Doncic a better defender. Doncic was never known for his defensive abilities during his Dallas Mavericks stint, but the Lakers are a team with a bigger focus on that side of the ball.
During Tuesday’s episode of “The WY Network,” the three-time NBA champion discussed defensive rotations, strategy and effort.
He mentioned players who were incredible on offense but weak links on defense. Doncic came up as an example, which prompted Wade to explain how the guard could improve.
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“Enter Luka with the Lakers,” Wade said. “JJ and his staff has to teach Luka how to be a better defender. And this doesn’t mean he needs to be locked down. Kyle Korver, who was one of the best defenders I played against, and he couldn’t guard me one-on-one, but he understood how to guard me with a system.”
“I look at Luka and we all know that Luka is amazing with the basketball, he’s magical. But we also know he has some liabilities on the defensive end of the floor.”
Before entering a rough stretch between March 20-27, the Lakers were one of the best defensive teams in the league, even with Doncic on the court. The Slovenian player credited the team’s success to their communication on defense.
After losing four of five games over that span, they appear to be back on the right track, beating the Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets in their most recent matchups. The 104-98 win against the Rockets was the first time they held an opponent to less than 100 points since March 16 (107-96 against the Phoenix Suns).