Former Defensive Player of the Year Gary Payton highlighted why Lakers star Luka Doncic might not improve defensively.
Payton was in Mumbai for the BUDX NBA House event, which starts on Saturday, and spoke to the media about the basketball culture in India, the evolution of the NBA, and why defense is essential, among other topics.
Payton hailed the OKC Thunder and Indiana Pacers, crediting them for having five players who can defend on the floor at all times, which led them to the NBA Finals.
After Payton emphasized why players should be able to guard without help, looking at the success of two well-balanced two-way teams (OKC and Indiana) in the 2024-25 season, Sportskeeda's Arhaan Raje asked "The Glove" what advice he would have for a player of Doncic's caliber on the defensive end.
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AR: As you mentioned that defense is critical to winning, what advice would you have for a Luka Doncic? He's a solid defender in the post, but he's not versatile and struggles on the perimeter.
Gary Payton:
"You have to be dedicated to playing defense. You gotta be dedicated. Maybe that's not for him. He's a scorer he can do it (if he wants to). Now if he gets his mind to it (he can). I tell every kid that I go and do camps with. I say it's a mindset to play defense. Not just say, you want to play defense. You can't do that. Because you have a mindset to do that.
"You need to have great hands and feet to do that. You've got to be able to move, you have to be willing to make sacrifices and do things. And that's just the way it goes. I don't think Luka is a defensive player. I think he's a scorer. But now, if he wants to, yeah, he can get his mind into it to do it. But does he want to do it? That's left up to him. That's not left up to us.
"You know, he's an athlete, he's got great ability. Now, does he want to go and change it and prove people wrong that he can't play defense? If that was me, I'd change it. I would say, 'Yeah, I'll go out here and try to defend somebody and I’ll try to get in shape and do the things that I need to do and I'm gonna do that.’”
Luka Doncic has made strides on that end of the floor, but consistency is an issue. He's often hunted by the opposing team's offensive players and brought into action because of his lack of resistance on the perimeter.
However, as Payton mentioned, Doncic is known for his scoring and may not have the tools to become a defensive player. Nevertheless, if Doncic wishes and puts his mind to it, Payton believes the Lakers' star can be better, but only the Slovenian can figure out his priorities.
His critics often point to Doncic's conditioning and blame it for his lack of lateral quickness on the perimeter, leading to a higher blow-by rate when he's at the point of attack.
Like any other player with limitations, Luka Doncic naturally struggles on teams that aren't good defensively as a unit. The Lakers this past season are an example of that. With no true center and point of attack defender, it became easier for opposing players to attack Doncic, highlighting his defensive issues.
If maximized for his strengths as a post defender against bigger players, Doncic will likely have a far greater impact on the game on that end of the floor.
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