Can you build a title-level defense around Luka Dončić?It’s been debated for years. I went deep:✅chronological breakdown of 7 yrs of team building✅lineup trends✅player archetypesThere is a clear blueprint for the Lakers and their offseason👇https://t.co/byySvpJKFO pic.twitter.com/g5bi0f2R1z— Iztok Franko (@iztok_franko) June 11, 2025
FROM THE ABOVE ARTICLE:
3-Signs of Dončić’s growth on defense?
Dončić’s defense is a polarizing topic, often defined by his more visible deficiencies like inconsistent effort and limited quickness when trying to stay in front of faster players. Less often discussed are the more subtle positives he brings on that end, like his positional size, defensive IQ, and defensive rebounding.
Playoff failures and narratives on the biggest stage have further amplified the perception of Dončić as a terrible defender, while the larger sample of data shows he has actually been a positive defender for an extended period of time now. On-off data shows that teams have defended better with Dončić on the floor since 2023, and all major advanced metrics (EPM, RAPM, DARKO) consistently portray him as an above-average defender.
Data shows Dončić has significantly improved as a help defender, particularly in reading and intercepting entry and weakside passes (as reflected by his growing steal rate that reached a career high this season), and as an isolation defender, where he has ranked among the better defenders based on Second Spectrum tracking data over the last two seasons.
4 – Next step for Dončić and the Lakers
Dončić has shown he can be an OK, and at times even good, individual defender when he puts his mind to it. I agree with Payton and Horry that it comes down to health, conditioning, and the desire to sustain that effort consistently, especially on a possession-by-possession basis in the playoffs. Both Kidd and his current coach J.J. Redick have challenged Dončić to get into the championship-level shape required to maintain that effort, and based on early offseason signs, it seems that Dončić has embraced the latest message.
As for the Lakers, the blueprint for building a competent defense around Dončić is already there. They can look at the past Mavericks data and roster constructions I’ve laid out, or study the clear signs of a new era across the league — one defined by speed, athleticism, aggressiveness, and on-ball pressure — which only make those previous Mavericks lessons even more relevant and important to consider.
Adding more athleticism, speed, and length should be a priority they need to start addressing this offseason. And if they somehow land an All-Defense elite type of defender along the way, maybe Dončić and the Lakers can take the next step from where he left off the last time he played in the playoffs with the Mavericks.