If anyone were to only listen to the angry discourse that has surrounded Luka Doncic and his defense lately, it would be fair to assume the Los Angeles Lakers superstar could not stay in front of a broomstick on that end. As such, anyone simply absorbing that dialogue would not get the full scope.
Doncic is not an elite defender. No one is going to make that argument. However, he's not such a massive liability on that end that it invites him to be pushed back down into player debates with the likes of Jaylen Brown, Cade Cunningham, and others.
No disrespect to any of those guys mentioned, who are fantastic players, but Doncic is a cut above that cloth. Doncic is an MVP-caliber player, a generational superstar, and certainly not someone who is so deficient on the defensive end that it cannot be overcome.
Luka Doncic is not the defining reason for Lakers' defensive struggles
Finding a scapegoat for a problem is easy. The idea, in itself, predates anyone currently living on this planet. Doncic has been pinpointed as the target here for the frustrations surrounding the Lakers defense.
If things were that simple, getting rid of Luka would simply solve all the issues, right? Congratulations, you are officially qualified to apply for the Dallas Mavericks general manager position.
In all seriousness, yes, the Lakers do rank 23rd when it comes to defensive rating (117.2). That is bad. Is Doncic helping Los Angeles escape that fate by being an elite perimeter stoppers? He's not. However, the struggles of the Lakers superstar have been overexaggerated.
Reggie Miller calls out Luka Doncic defensive effort 👀
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) December 31, 2025
“Look at Luka right here. It’s OK, Luka, to move your feet a little bit over and help out. What does he do? He just throws up his hands. This would be frustrating for me.”
(h/t @MrBuckBuckNBA)
pic.twitter.com/HVAwv48lBx
It's easy to nitpick clips and moments like the one above. Does Doncic have his lapses? For sure. Can his effort levels waver? They can. Leading the league in usage percentage (38.0) certainly does not help his cause of being a dialed-in defender.
Excuses aside, there are numbers that clearly support this being a larger personnel issue than just one man.
According to Basketball Reference, Doncic ranks second on his team when it comes to defensive rating per 100 possessions among Lakers who have played at least 100 minutes. Luka is also first in defensive win shares, and has the best defensive box plus/minus (min. 100 minutes).
DBPM is an imperfect stat, so that much will be granted. However, the lineup data from the NBA suggests Doncic is just fine when deployed properly.
Of the Lakers' five most played lineups this season, the two with the best defensive ratings both feature Doncic. What's the key? Getting the fit right overall.
Doncic has played 81 minutes in 2025-26 with Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, and Austin Reaves. That lineup has a defensive rating of 100.6 together. Swap out Rui for Jake LaRavia and that leads to the second most effective lineup mentioned above, with a mark of 105.8.
The Lakers defense is, and always has been, a multi-layered issue.
The Mavericks went to the NBA Finals on the backs of a strong defensive unit in 2024. Once the roster gets its proper makeover, and JJ Redick deploys the combinations properly, the Luka slander can be put to rest.