Luka Doncic talks about his huge step forward that haters won't admit / News - Basketnews.com

Luka Doncic says he has made an improvement on the defensive end: "People are not going to admit it, but I think this year I've really taken a big step."

Credit: AFP-Scanpix Credit AFP-Scanpix

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has always been an offensive-minded player as his career numbers tell the story.

Luka Doncic

MIN:37.06PTS:34 (58.36%)REB:9As:8.13ST:1.81BL:0.5TO:3.31GM:16ProfileNBA2022/2023

However, few noticed that Doncic in his fifth NBA season has transformed into a well-above-average defensive player, who averages a career-best 1.8 steals per game (fourth result in the league) and 3.3 deflections a match (ninth result).

"People are not going to admit it, but I think this year I've really taken a big step," Doncic addressed his defensive improvement, per Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.

"I don't need people to believe; I believe in myself. I think I've been playing defense way better than the first four years and I think I've taken a huge step forward," he added.

Mavs coach Jason Kidd tries to help his star guard to become an all-around player on both ends of the floor.

"Luka feels that he wants to have the total package," Kidd said. "Not a lot of people can say they have that. Hopefully, we can help him get there.

"He wants to guard guys with the ball. And so that helps our defense, but we're also still in the mode of protecting one another. That's how we're built defensively," the 49-year-old pointed out.

Luka Doncic averages a career-best 34.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 8.1 assists over 16 games this season.

Thank you for reading us! Help us even more.