Luka Doncic went viral a few days ago after he called for ‘isolation’ (one on one matchup on the court) against LeBron James. Luka has been doing this to the best of the best in the NBA all season. He makes it a point to go after the best player on the court. Luka appeared on the JJ Redick podcast (The Old Man and the Three) where JJ asked him about why he did it.
Luka explained that it is always difficult for the best player to play both ends of the floor at 100%. Basketball being a very high-paced game causes fatigue among players much faster than in most sports. Luka explained that if he could get them tired playing one on one defense on him, their offensive output would reduce as well. This would give the Mavericks an advantage towards the end of the game.
Luka has not only done the same to just LeBron but also to Rudy Gobert, Steph Curry, and many others. He also said that other players would play one-on-one with him guarding them. He joked that they thought he couldn’t play defense and that’s why they called for a one on one against him. He also added that scoring against the best players was a matter of pride as well.
Luka Doncic is averaging 28.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 8.6 assists this season. Under the leadership of Jason Kidd, the Mavericks are playing some great defense this season. They are the 6th best defensive team in the league right now. With Luka playing at an MV level, the Mavericks are one of the most dangerous teams in the Western Conference.
With the way the standings look unless the Utah Jazz or the Mavericks win all the games they have left, the two teams will face off in the Playoffs. Right now they are both battling for the 4 seed and get the home-court advantage. It will be an amazing show with Luka going against Donovan Mitchell.
