Every super scorer gets assigned to a defensive assassin. Lebron James got Kawhi Leonard in 2010s and Kobe Bryant got either Tony Allen or Shane Battier in 2000s. Los Angeles Lakers has another super scorer in Luka Doncic but who is his toughest defender?
Hear it from the Luka himself.
The five-time All-Star named two players he said gave him the toughest time and luckily for him, one of them is now a teammate.
“Basketball will come first. Doncic is eager to get to training camp. This summer he helped recruit the former Celtics defensive pest Marcus Smart, one of two players Doncic cites as the biggest headaches he’s faced,” wrote Jason Gay of Wall Street Journal in a long piece titled Welcome to the Luka Doncic Revenge Tour.
Lakers acquired Smart last July after becoming some sort of journeyman ever since his time with the Boston Celtics ended in 2023. He was signed by Memphis Grizzlies and then the Washington Wizards during the second half of 2024-25 season. He played a total of 54 games in the last two seasons.
Smart was the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year when the Celtics finished as runners up to Golden State Warriors.
Luka Doncic gives props Herb Jones
Another played named by Doncic as his toughest defender is Herbert Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans. Jones was part of the 2024 All NBA Second Defensive Team.
This is not the first time Doncic gave Jones his flowers.
In 2023, he said he is an admirer of the 26-year-old Alabama standout after their match up when he was still part of the Dallas Mavericks.
“He’s just a great defender,” he said.
“You could see his impact today because he wasn’t there the first game. I really admire that guy.”
Jones and Doncic met seven times since 2021. The Lakers star scored 20 plus points in the first five but the last two was hell for him as he was contented into a combined 31 points by the Pelicans. He also shot 28.6% and 31.3% in those games.
Jones is maturing and just keeps on getting better. It will be interesting if him and Doncic will have a Kobe vs Battier dynamics in the future.
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