Not weight, however Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce names one other downside with Luka Doncic.
The Los Angeles Lakers could have confronted an early elimination within the 2025 NBA Playoffs, however the fanbase is eager for a surprising comeback subsequent season.
In spite of everything, it is going to be the primary full season of LeBron James and Luka Doncic’s duo. Whereas the joy is there, many have an enormous concern about Doncic.
It’s none aside from Doncic probably not being in nice form heading into the brand new season. However Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce believes followers are centered on the mistaken Doncic downside.
After spending greater than six years with the Dallas Mavericks, one factor is evident – Doncic is a generational famous person.
Conserving that in thoughts, Pierce identified that it doesn’t matter if Doncic’s weight will not be optimum, the actual hassle lies elsewhere.
“I don’t know, the man averages 30-8-8, and we’re speaking about his weight. Let’s discuss his mentality on protection. I really feel like that’s the difficulty,” Pierce mentioned, through SPEAK.
He added: “Protection is a mentality, rebounds and the hassle stuff, that’s a mentality.”
Even with the Lakers, Doncic averaged 28.2 factors, 8.2 rebounds, and seven.7 assists per recreation in simply 28 appearances.
Contemplating it was a mid-season commerce, the Lakers had an 18-10 report in these matchups, however that’s certain to enhance within the upcoming marketing campaign.
Coming again to Pierce’s feedback, the 2008 NBA champion additional clarified why protection is a extra regarding downside with Doncic.
“It has nothing to do together with his weight, so far as his manufacturing, he’s one of the crucial productive gamers all-first group NBA each single yr, so don’t make this a weight factor and try to throw us off the topic.
“He must discover ways to play some rattling protection and never get remoted and picked on, that’s the difficulty with him,” the Celtics legend concluded.
Even former NBA star Gilbert Arenas mentioned one thing comparable when discussing Doncic’s subsequent season. The ball is now in Luka’s court docket to show his critics mistaken.