FROM ABOVE ARTICLE:

Luka Dončić‘s defense is often a hotly-discussed topic, but the strides he’s made are suddenly not being mentioned.

While being the star of the Lakers can make you the face of the NBA, it also brings a lot of scrutiny.

Even before his time in Los Angeles, Luka Dončić was no stranger to being viewed under a microscope. But this season with the purple and gold has taken it to another level.

While Luka’s interactions with officials have been the main focus for seemingly every talking head associated with the NBA, his defense has been the secondary talking point.

In an era of social media, clips of Luka’s defense, or lack thereof in most cases, it’s pretty easily for a faux pas to spread like wildfire across Twitter, Instagram, Tik Tok or wherever else people are doom scrolling. And to be clear, Luka has not been good on that end of the floor more often than not to start the year.

However, he’s also taken steps forward defensively in recent games, ones his coaches have noticed. Social media, unsurprisingly, is still catching up on those narratives, though.

“I think he’s had really good stretches for games, sustainable stretches for games,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said, “and then there’s seems to be a game every now and then where just the engagement and effort is not there. There’s times within a game that there’s maybe one or two possessions, but I would say across the board on our team, outside of maybe Marcus Smart, that the case for our guys on that end of the floor.

“We have the numbers. When he switches onto the ball, it’s the lowest of any of our perimeter guys in terms of points per possession. I think he’s done a good job. He’s shown that he can contain the basketball. He’s obviously one of the best wing defensive rebounders in the NBA. He’s able to generate steals and deflections. So, with some prodding, he’s taking charges as well. He’s doing a lot of good things defensively.”

Defense is always hard to quantify or measure. There are numbers that exist, as Redick mentioned, but they aren’t as easily accessible or as easily understood as simpler offensive stats. There is no points or rebounds or assists equivalent for defense.

Where defense is most noticeable is when it doesn’t happen. When Luka gets blown by or is caught ball-watching, it’s easy to see. But when he’s making the correct read in terms of help defense or is following the scouting report, it’s much harder to even know, let alone see.

All of that context is too much for those aforementioned talking heads to dive into, though. It’s easier to just repeatedly shout about Luka being a bad defender and not actually watch games. Nor do they care to properly contextualize how much he’s doing offensively to lift the Lakers as well. No, no. It’s easier to scream that Luka is complaining to the refs.

But let me step off my soapbox.

Luka is a special, special player. Everyone can see that. In an era where everything is scrutinized, his flaws get a disproportionate amount of focus relative to what he’s so great at.

And even then, those flaws, like his defense, are coming around in recent games. Not that the talking heads care to take notice.

Luka took a beating across all media after that Denver game. Mostly because of his constant chirping to the refs but also his defense (or lack thereof). He had to come back hard last night and show a better effort. But night in & night out he’s not even an average defender

LAKERS 6-GAME PROVE-IT-OR-LOSE-IT STRETCH!Sun, 3/8, Beat KnicksTue, 3/10, Beat TimberwolvesThu, 3/12, Beat BullsSat, 3/14, Beat NuggetsMon, 3/16, Beat RocketsWed, 3/18 Beat RocketsLakers continue to campaign to turn their offense into a juggernaut, averaging more than 30… https://t.co/wPN65FFfiV— LakerTom (@LakerTom) March 7, 2026

I wrote about this in my game observations: Lakers now tied for 1st place with Denver in shooting (at 57.3% eFG%).After slow start, they are 4th in the NBA in 3P% since Feb 1st. Two top guys in volume, Dončić and Smart at 40% and 39% from 3 in 2026. Kennard at 53% helps as… https://t.co/liWCD2tQyw pic.twitter.com/cRyWJFajBC— Iztok Franko (@iztok_franko) March 7, 2026

Only Team we lost to was a good one. Beat 4 not-so-good? : (