Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas has called for Luka Doncic to get in shape after the Dallas Mavericks lost 1-4 against the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.
Arenas acknowledged Doncic’s offensive brilliance but noted how the Celtics exploited his poor defense. According to Arenas, Doncic needs to get in shape to improve defensively.
Agent Zero emphasized that Doncic’s offensive skills are exceptional but highlighted the need for defensive improvement.
“Luka has to just get in shape,” Arenas said on Gil’s Arena. “Not offensively. We know offensively you’re a gifted mind. Just little things you do, just little subtle things you that lets me know you’re very, very brilliant when it comes to offense.
“You’re seeing things that there’s just other people that can’t see – when you’re moving, how to plant on this foot, pump fake, seeing somebody’s body moving. You know how to manipulate a defense. You’re not in shape to move defensively. You’re not.”
Arenas pointed out how the Celtics targeted Doncic’s defensive weaknesses to their advantage.
“They’re going to pick on you because they know the only way to neutralize you is to get you in foul trouble and get you tired,” he explained. “Like any defender, we know we can’t guard you offensively. You’re just that gifted. So we’re going to have to beat you on the defensive end.”
Despite Doncic’s defensive shortcomings, Arenas also noted how the Celtics struggled to defend against him.
“We can talk about Luka crying and he don’t play no defense all we want. But the same guy, who didn’t play no defense, walked through three series to the championship and he just fought against a better beast of a talent… You can put any highlight you want of how bad the man’s defense is, but I know if I’m him and I say this ‘For all the great defensive player y’all say out there, who stopped me?'”
Arenas stated that Doncic’s offensive prowess remains unmatched even by top defensive players.
“No matter how much defense you’re going to give credit to, he can say ‘Who f*cking stopped me? I got nobody on my team outside of Kyrie. Everybody else you know where they are – corner, corner, pick and… Who f*cking stopped me? You want to talk about this defensive sh*t. Everybody I played with can’t play defense either. What they were doing to me, I was doing to them too. Round after round. The Clippers great defensive players. Round after round, after round. Bad defense. Made them look stupid.’ And that’s going to be a true statement. He is special at what he does,” Arenas added.
Doncic averaged 29.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in 38.8 minutes per game in the Finals.
His defensive issues have been discussed since his arrival in the league six years ago. Despite this, Doncic has been a dominant force in the NBA, leading the league in scoring with 33.9 points per game this past season.
Arenas concluded that Doncic needs to self-reflect and commit to improving his fitness and defense.
“It’s one of those things, as much as you want to hold him accountable, he has to want it himself,” Arenas said. “He has to be able to look in the mirror and say ‘You know what, I personally need to do better and this is what I need to do better at.'”
