Former Los Angeles Lakers forward Samaki Walker recently criticized Luka Doncic for calling the NBA soft while questioning his ability to play defense.
Speaking in an interview on the Coach JB Show, Walker challenged Doncic not just to stay in shape but to step up on the defensive end to help take the Los Angeles Lakers to the next level.
“I personally feel — and I love Luka offensively — but I feel like over the last few years, he disrespected the NBA because I follow him,” Walker explained. “He goes back to Europe and talks about how soft the NBA is, yet he doesn’t play any defense. You know what I’m saying? So, yeah, I take that personally.”
“I wanna see if he’s in shape and he has the mentality to play defense ’cause, hell, you can get in shape, but it still takes a mentality to play D, you know what I’m saying? A lot of time, these guys don’t wanna play defense because they don’t wanna look bad because of their brand,” he added.
Los Angeles Lakers News: Luka Doncic opens up on his body transformation
Luka Doncic has been lauded for his weight loss this offseason, and the Los Angeles Lakers star admitted that it was an adjustment period for him. He also reiterated that working on his conditioning was never about his former team, the Dallas Mavericks.
“I know how much basketball means to me. It has given me a lot in my life. But I also like to play other sports. The first three or four days were hard for me without basketball, but then I just got used to it,” Doncic told reporters via Slovenia’s Svet24.
“At first, basically everything, but it’s a matter of habit. After I got used to it, nothing was particularly difficult,” he added.
