Luka Doncic Blamed Of Being A Bad Leader & Out Of Shape

The Los Dallas Mavericks are constantly on the edge of things. Take out the calculator to see if they can make the postseason with three or two victories in their last three games. The reality of the club that finished as a Western Conference finalist the previous year may be summed up by a dramatic finale to the year, losses to a variety of opponents, and anti-competitiveness. After the Mavericks’ 132-130 overtime defeat to the Hawks on Sunday, Kendrick Perkins criticised Luka Doncic for his poor defence and lack of leadership.

Luka Doncic Blamed Of Being A Bad Leader & Out Of Shape

It is evident that the squad lost. They acquired Kyrie Irving just before the transfer window closed in an effort to challenge for the title, but despite his occasional flashes of brilliance, he is unable to make up for the team’s fundamental flaws. mostly for defence.  “We don’t defend, we don’t know how to stop them,” Jason Kidd confessed after losing in Miami.

After the Mavericks’ 132-130 overtime defeat to the Hawks on Sunday, Kendrick Perkins criticised Luka Doncic for his poor defence and lack of leadership.

On Monday’s episode of “First Take,” Perkins, a former NBA champion and current ESPN pundit, attacked Doncic, saying he is “disturbed” by the Dallas star forward’s conduct on the floor.

“Sooner or later it is you,” Perkins said. “When I watch Luka, I get so disturbed by his body language, not only towards the officiating but towards his [Mavs] teammates.

“The pouting, the hanging of the head, going to the media… You talk about giving up 132.

“How many of those points were on you last night? When are you gonna be accountable?”

Perkins said although Doncic isn’t that athletic on defense, “he could at least give effort” and play with passion.

“It’s easy to say, ‘Oh it’s [guard] Kyrie [Irving’s] fault’ or … [head coach Jason Kidd] doesn’t know what he’s doing.

“But at what point are we actually going to start to point the finger at Luka? About his bad habits as far as his poor leadership skills; about him not putting forth the effort defensively; about [the Mavs] having to worry about whether or not he’s going to be in shape.

“Those things matter, and although he’s going to go out there and he’s going to give you 30, eight, and nine on a consistent basis, we get fooled by that.”

Perkins then recalled a series of instances when Doncic has “left [his] team out to dry.”

“There [are] two ends of the floor and I think this is a growing process for Luka as far as being a leader and learning how to be the franchise guy,” Perkins said.

Doncic finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in Sunday’s loss to Atlanta — Dallas’ third-straight defeat.

The only factor determining Dallas’s level of success this year has been how Luka has performed. Without Doncic’s 50 points in close victories versus tanking squads like the Pistons and Spurs, their record would be substantially worse. Even in December, he had to make 60-21-10 in extra time to defeat a Knicks squad that was shorthanded.

Due to persistent ailments in February, the great offensive burden Luka carried the whole season virtually came to a stop. But is Perkins accurate in pointing out his weak leadership and defensive flaws?

 

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