Is Luka Doncic a good defender? Mavericks star praised for defense against Kawhi Leonard and James Harden in Game 2 win

Game 1 was ugly for the Mavericks, but they got revenge in Game 2 by stealing home field advantage from the Clippers.

It should come as no surprise that it was Luka Doncic who led Dallas to victory. He missed 15 of his 26 field goal attempts, but the MVP finalist finished with a team-high 32 points to go along with nine assists, six rebounds, one steal and one block.

In addition to doing a little bit of everything offensively, Doncic helped the Mavericks limit the Clippers to 93 points, tied for LA’s second-lowest scoring game of the season. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon called it “arguably the best defensive performance of (Doncic’s) career.”

How much defensive impact has Doncic actually had? Let’s take a closer look at that.

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Luka Doncic defense against Clippers in Game 2

The Clippers shot a combined 6-for-24 (25.0 percent) when Doncic was the primary defender in Game 2, according to the NBA’s matchup data. Doncic spent most of his time guarding Terance Mann, but he held James Harden to 2-for-6 shooting and Kawhi Leonard to 1-for-4 shooting.

Here are the full matchup details:

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Is Luka Doncic a good defender?

Doncic is not known for his defense.

While Doncic’s athleticism won’t keep him from becoming an all-time leading scorer, he lacks the speed and mobility to keep up with faster guards off the dribble. (Doncic was the slowest defender in the league this season, according to NBA tracking data.) He doesn’t have the highest motor, either. He is often slow to return in transition, and he is not someone who consistently makes multiple rotations around the field.

Teams like the Clippers target Doncic on that side of the court, not only in an attempt to wear him down because they know the load he carries offensively, but also because there are parts of his game that can be exploited.

Doncic has improved defensively in recent years. He lacks the vertical pop that can be a deterrent around the rim, but he is a big guard at 6-7 and 230 pounds, which helps him transition to bigger players and compete in the post. His size is a determining factor, allowing him to average 8.7 rebounds per game during his career, and he generates a decent amount of steals and deflections. He is also a good communicator.

Doncic says he is proud of his defense. When locked in, he can make an impact on that end of the floor, as he showed in Game 2 against the Clippers.

This possession against Leonard, a six-time All-Star who averaged 23.7 points per game on 52.5 percent shooting this season, was particularly impressive:

LUKA DEFENSE ON KLAW!!! pic.twitter.com/r8ZA8bwkZh

— MavsHighlights (@MavsHighlights) April 24, 2024

Doncic also had some good closeouts on Harden and came up with a late stop on Paul George.

He seemed pretty excited about that.

“That’s fine. I accept it,” Doncic said when asked if the Clippers targeted him defensively. “It puts me on the defensive, so they want to attack me, that’s fine. I think I defended well today, so I have to stay locked in.”

The key for Doncic is to keep up these efforts for the remainder of this series, and not just for one game. If he can do that, it’s not hard to imagine the Mavericks making a deep run in these playoffs.