12-23-2021, 11:51 AM
(12-23-2021, 11:37 AM)mvossman Wrote: I would classify Luka as a great offensive player and poor defender. I agree that players are what they are, but defense can be impacted a lot by level of effort, and does seem like Luka is lacking in this area. I think it would help a lot to get him some creation help on the offensive side of the ball so he has more energy. It would also help if he spent less time and effort whining to the officials.
Agree. I would also add motivation. Luka is a guy that thrives on competition. The biggest the challenge, more is he motivated. Regular season games against average or bad teams are not something that motivates him a lot. The problem Mavs have - they are bad if Luka doesn't play like huge star. They even have problems against average/bad teams. But I also think this is not sustainable. You can't have your main guy in top form through whole regular season and playoffs. Look at Nets. Durant is playing at MVP level and their result is good, but they are affraid they will run him to the ground before playoff start.