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Luka Doncic had an extremely impressive performance in the West’s three Playoff matches. He averaged 28.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and 8.8 assists, a remarkable achievement while the Slovenian star has been playing with knee pain recently.

Not to mention, Luka Doncic did this when facing many good defensive players in the NBA. From Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or most recently Anthont Edwards. All of them, and the defense systems behind them, could do nothing to stop Luka Donic.

However, LeBron James said that many teams have ineffective defense plans when facing Luka Doncic. On the podcast Mind the Game, the superstar born in 1984 offered options if he were in the role of coach on the opponent’s side.

LeBron James’s advice when facing Luka Doncic

Never use the 2 on 1 plan with Luka Doncic

In the Mind the Game podcast, the first piece of advice LeBron James gave was to never use “blitz” when facing Luka Doncic. In basketball terms, “blitz” refers to a defensive behavior in which two players will immediately rush in to mark Luka Doncic if they are caught in “screens”, or support walls from opponents.

Throughout the Western Conference Finals series, the Minnesota Timberwolves frequently used these options against Luka Doncic. The results have proven that this is an ineffective defense for the Slovenian star.

As the video below shows, Jaden McDaniels is marking Luka Doncic, but is stopped by a wall of support from Dereck Lively II. Immediately, Rudy Gobert abandoned Lively II to rush up to block Luka Doncic’s movement, combining with Jaden McDaniels to create a 2-on-1 position.

However, Luka Doncic, with his excellent vision, threw a pass for Dereck Lively II to score easily. That’s also how LeBron James told JJ Redick at the Mind the Game podcast: “It’s pointless for players to try to surround Luka Doncic. He can read the situation and react very quickly.”

If he cannot pass to Lively II, Luka Doncic can completely direct the ball to any other player at the 3-point line. Remember, when using 2 on 1 with the opponent, the defense will definitely fall into a numerical disadvantage if the opponent successfully passes the ball.

So, if this method is not effective, then what defense should be applied when facing Luka Doncic? Remember, “drop coverage” was once used by the Minnesota Timberwolves and did not prove to be too effective.

Combine defense plans

According to LeBron James and the people in the Mind the Game podcast, there is no fixed plan to accompany Luka Doncic. JJ Redick said: “Teams must be flexible and combine defensive options. They need to know when to rush in to pressure and make the opponent unable to control the ball.”

LeBron James also agreed with this opinion when he said: “Defensive players need to observe what Luka Doncic is doing? Dribbling the ball, getting into a throwing position? Standing position at the 3-point line or in the middle of the 2-point area.” Thus, this depends greatly on the experience of the defender.

However, with a player as comprehensive as Luka Doncic, there is no effective solution. Above, we talked about never pressuring Luka Doncic 2v1. The Atlanta Hawks did this, and Luka Doncic had 73 points that day. Of course, the Atlanta Hawks have never been a good team, but this is a testament to how difficult Luka Doncic is to mark.

Switch

In recent seasons, the most effective way to accompany Luka Doncic is to perform “switch” situations, which means constantly changing people whenever the support wall hits. This option not only puts 1-on-1 pressure on Luka Doncic, but also leaves no room for players to cut into the basket like Dereck Lively did above.

However, this option requires great demands on the quality and physical fitness of the players on the field. Teams need to have players with good defensive ability or better, as well as having similar physiques. If that player is under 2m tall, he must also be able to read the situation and cling uncomfortably. If the player is too tall, he must also have enough agility and flexibility to change people when needed.

JJ Redick also noted this issue on the podcast: “There are only certain teams that can apply this method of constantly changing players. You need qualified and trustworthy personnel on the field.”

The Boston Celtics are one of the few teams that can do that. Except for Kristaps Porzingis, who is quite slow, the remaining players in their starting lineup are Jrue Holiday (1m93), Derrick White (1m93), Jaylen Brown (1m98) and Jayson Tatum (2m03) with height, body shape and The defensive ability is not too different to cling to a 2m01 tall player like Luka Doncic.

If the Dallas Mavericks constantly use the wall so that the opponent has to constantly change their marker to Kristaps Porzingis, then the Boston Celtics can still fight back with reasonable compensation plans when the remaining 4 players are all quite agile. Not to mention, Al Horford, with the experience of a 37-year-old player, can also be used even though he cannot keep up with Luka Doncic’s speed. After the few direct encounters in the 2023/24 season, Al Horford only allowed Luka Doncic to have a finishing efficiency of 3/10.

Dropc Coverage

As previously analyzed, “drop coverage” is a strategy used by many defensive teams today in the NBA , and has certain effectiveness when facing Luka Doncic. However, this is also an option that should be used at any time, because with Luka Doncic’s ability to control the ball, vision and good thinking, he can completely play “slowly” and control the rhythm. level of attack at your discretion.

A defensive formation that puts Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis in both back and support positions will be the solution when man-to-man switching situations are ineffective. Remember, once a player enters the trapezoidal area, their processing range will be narrowed. Even if they are a well-rounded player like Luka Doncic or have the ability to process at high speed like Kyrie Irving, they can still make mistakes.

As mentioned above, there is no truly effective defensive solution for Luka Doncic, especially when this player has the ability to control the pace of the ball fast or slow depending on the situation on the field. “We cannot completely stop an excellent player (like Luka Doncic). We can only defend to the best of our ability and hope they miss that shot,” LeBron James said.