I Am Sick and Tired of the “Luka Can’t Play Defense” Propoganda

21 comments

1. While I think Luka’s defense has been league average this year, which is definitely good enough for them to win at a high level, steals is not a stat that is indicative of defensive ability.

2. I think it comes down to steals ≠ good defense, he’s not a good defender imo but the “he’s a horrible defender” gets blown out of proportion, hes an average defender especiallywith the offensive load he carries, his iso stats are also pretty good, just when he’s playing high up, he gets blown by way too often. He’s good at playing passing lanes, most of these guys straight up steal the ball from their attacker

3. Heres a lil secret – the vast majority of the league can play lockdown defense if they want to. Its just a matter of willpower and energy management.

4. I was at the game last night here in Sacramento. Luka was great for the mavs and even got his rest as kyrie continued to carry them

5. There is much more to being a good defender than steals/blocks. For example, AI was always an average or below average defender and he averaged 2.2 steals for his career. Hasan Whiteside was unplayable defensively if he wasn’t always on a drop and he got DPOY votes in multiple years.

6. His transition defence sucks ass, his on ball defence is decent and his post defence is really good. He is an average defender, if you count the offensive load he is carrying.

7. This is the worst possible argument though. Hes grossly underrated but please dont pull this up when someone says hes trash it makes you look crazy.

8. Free Luka from the tyranny of this narrative!! Luka is a good defender when he wants to be, but he expends so much on the other end he often has to prioritize his value on offense. He doesn’t want to get cheap fouls or wear himself out grinding on defense when he has had zero help on the other end in the past. That said, when he wants to be he can lock in and he’s been emphasizing it more in the last few weeks. His scoring numbers are down, others are picking up the load, and he’s stepping up more defensively. Last night he had a sequence where he defended Sabonnis in the post and basically bullied him off the block, and they couldn’t get it in. Totally underrated, and his steals are legit too, they stem from his basketball IQ and playing passing lanes. Just a matter of where he wants to spend his energy.

9. People want to find flaws in the game of the best player on Earth, let em.

10. Luka plays defense like he plays offense. It LOOKS slow and labored. His offensive prowess can’t be denied because he has ridiculous numbers. But the same approach on defense leaves him open to widespread criticism because there’s not a point that goes up on the board each time you force an opposing player to rethink what they were about to do three steps ahead of the impact point simply because you cut off a lane. Luka is smart. Watch closer and understand the game better. Give him credit for things average fans and non players have never considered.

11. Can’t or won’t? I’d say he takes plays off… understandable until this offense changes.

12. Both SGA and Tatum are severely overrated as defenders to help push their MVP agenda. None of them are the number 1 defender on their team or the defensive anchors but the media treats them as such to help their case. Luka went from a negative to an average defender and can be a plus defender when he tries (and has both legs available) the league however refuses to accept that he has improved defensively

13. James harden has at least 8 seasons of 1.5+ steals

    Steals do not automatically equal being a good defender

14. First it was the athleticism, then it was “he doesn’t make his teammates better” then it was “he can’t play off the ball” now its the defence, god knows what it’ll be next year.

15. Luka is a fine 1 on on defenser, his big issue is off ball defense. His off ball defense makes him a not good defender. If he can focus in on his off ball defense he will be solid on that end.

16. Pretty sure I hear earlier that he leads the league in deflections.

17. Labels given by the media are hard to change, specially if it’s negative and has been used for years.

18. how about that fast break when he drew the charge even though they had 3 to 1 numbers? that was a great play.

19. He just started playing defense.

20. 1.5 steals a game has nothing to do with 48 minutes of defense

21. So true. He’s obviously not an elite defender, but considering the stats he puts up on offense how can you expect him to be. He’s a great defender when you consider how much energy he puts into the offensive end. All the top defensive guards can’t hold a candle to Lukas stats and overall contribution besides maybe Shai, and the dude is still stealing more than most of them.