Luka Doncic earned recognition for his defensive work at EuroBasket, where he also led the tournament in scoring with 34.7 points per game.
Lakers assistant coach Greg St. Jean, who was on Slovenia’s coaching staff, highlighted Doncic as the national team’s best defensive player, praising his positioning, communication, and effort on each possession.
During the tournament, St. Jean reportedly shared a video edit of Doncic’s defensive performance with Slovenian head coach Aleksander Sekulic, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. The footage demonstrated the guard’s commitment on both ends of the court, showing his ability to influence games beyond scoring.
Doncic has made a seamless transition to the Lakers after being traded from the Dallas Mavericks on February 2. The trade, which included Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris going to Los Angeles in exchange for Max Christie, Anthony Davis, and draft picks, reunited Doncic with his childhood idol LeBron James.
Doncic continued to produce at a historic level, scoring 30 points with 15 assists in a March 4 win against the New Orleans Pelicans. He joined LeBron James, Magic Johnson, and Jerry West as one of only four Lakers players to reach those totals in a single game.
In the playoffs, Doncic averaged 30.2 points, 7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists across five games despite the Lakers being eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 4–1 series loss.
