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Luka Doncic is heading into the 205-26 season with a lot to prove, former Lakers champion Samaki Walker says.
Defensively, Luka has let teams in the down in the past and Walker says this is the area that will be the true test for the Slovenian star.
“Look, man, the guy is a basketball savant,” Walker said on The Coach JB Show with Big Smitty. “He’s special. He’s a one-of-a-kind player. We know — real basketball players know and real fans of basketball know that, look, it’s a two-way sport. It’s offense, defense, you know what I’m saying? And I personally feel — and I love Luka offensively — but I feel like over the couple, few years, he disrespected the NBA because I follow him. He go back to Europe and talking about how soft the NBA is, yet he don’t play no defense. You know what I’m saying? So, yeah, I take that personal.
“So, with that being said, I wanna see…if he’s in shape and he has the mentality to play defense ’cause, hell, you can get in shape, but it still take a mentality to play D, you know what I’m saying? And so, is he willing to accept that? … The truth about superstars, a lot of them are egotistical, right? They’ve been cast to the forefront. The NBA project these guys or prop these guys up as greats, which they are, but a lot of time, these guys don’t wanna play defense because they don’t wanna look bad because of their brand.
“For some reason, we in this era where you get crossed over and things of that nature. ‘Oh, man, he ended his career.’ These guys actually believe that. They so immature in their approach that competition is lacking and taking a hit because of the immature approach to basketball. And that shouldn’t happen.
“And so, yeah, I wanna challenge this kid. I wanna see if he really about that on both ends of the floor, not just a offensive guy or let the NBA sell us one side of the game because as a competitor — a true competitor — I’m interested in seeing this kid can make the mental adjustment. And I believe he can. And it starts with getting in shape, and he did that part, so let’s give him credit for that. And let’s see if he can accomplish the other part.”
READ MORE: Former NBA Veteran Explains Win-Win Situation For Luka Doncic
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