Now that the Lakers have lost seven of their past 10 game, they’ve landed back down to earth. Even though they remain as the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference, the purple and gold are only three games away from the Clippers, who stand in the first-play in spot in 7th place.
After their most recent loss against Orlando, Kendrick Perkins took aim against Luka Doncic, suggesting his poor defensive efforts have become a liability for the Los Angeles club. However, the Slovenian is averaging 27.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game, so far with the Lakers.
“I think me and Bron, think we should be the guys to do that,” Luka said after losing 118-106 loss to the Magic. “That’s on me. Obviously, I’ve got to do better, I’ve got to talk more. I talked in the first half, then just kind of [let my] voice down and I shouldn’t do that.”
After a slow start in California, Doncic has started to find his footing on offense, but his defense remains an issue. According to Perkins, the superstar needs to take accountability for his poor performances on that side of the court, starting by acknowledging his deficiency.
“The defensive effort that Luka has been putting forth has to be called out,” the former NBA champion said on NBA Today. “He has to do better defensively. He has to bring that energy like he does on the offensive side of things. He cannot be a liability, because teams are going to search him out.”
Despite taking the Mavericks all the way to last year’s NBA Finals, the point guard has never been known for his defensive abilities. However, if the team intends on going on a deep playoff run this year, Doncic needs to work on this department.
By this point, the Los Angeles club hope to get back on track when they face Indiana on Wednesday evening. The Pacers game will be the eleventh game remaining in this 2024-25 regular season.
