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[Shelburne] In the three seasons he’s coached Doncic, Kidd has told him several truths: he needed to stop making enemies of officials with persistent whining; he needed to give a more consistent effort on defense; and he needed to get in better shape to be at his best when his team needed him.



Kidd has said these things publicly and privately. So have Doncic's teammates in Dallas and on the Slovenian national team.


He's so talented, he hasn't had to make the profound changes to his game, body and attitude that Kidd and others have been trying to help him make.

He has tried, to some extent.

He has shown improvement as a defender … at times. He has taken offseason conditioning more seriously … to some extent. He has cut down on his technical fouls … a bit.

But he hasn't done enough and the Celtics have exploited his weaknesses — especially when they attack him on offense.


According to Second Spectrum, Doncic has allowed the three highest blow-by percentages on drives in a playoff series in the past 10 years. In the first round, the LA Clippers drove past him 65.2% of the time. In the second round, the Oklahoma City Thunder blew past him on defense 59% of the time. Against the Celtics, that percentage has ballooned to 67.7%.

by sewsgup

28 Comments

  1. CP3sHamstring

    He’s like 90% the flopper of Harden but 200% the size and 60000% the complainer. A truly Third Reich-esque combo

  2. carefullywasnt

    The series ain’t even over yet and the hit pieces are starting?

  3. browndude10

    I mean who’s going to be in his face about it and keep telling him this until he actually learns? Carlisle? He got booted from his job

  4. StefonDiggsHS

    hit pieces coming in hot

    no credit for a 25 yr old with 3 different injuries carrying a team to the finals huh

  5. AgadorFartacus

    Sometimes it takes a series like this for truths like these to resonate, especially early in a guy’s career. If Doncic doesn’t make some changes this summer, that’s when it really starts to become concerning.

  6. SuperSaladBar

    Luka has done a lot of damage to his own image and reputation this finals. Biggest stage with everyone watching and his behavior on the court has been terrible. Yes he’s hurt and genuinely was a lot better about all 3 of those “truths” during the regular season when he was healthier, but the attitude at this stage is inexcusable

  7. MrPangus

    At least doc has the stones to say this shit himself

  8. thy_armageddon

    You know what would be funny for the Mavs to do an entire month after extending Kidd?

  9. Technician-Temporary

    The complaining is really frustrating to watch even as a neutral fan.

  10. BecauseBatman01

    Yeah we know.

    He just can’t get over it. He’s like an addict and can’t help it and feels that he has to let the ref know about every call.

    Let’s hope it changes but maybe too late for this season

  11. peanut-britle-latte

    I wonder if Prime Phil Jackson would connect with him. Luka needs some zen.

  12. JLifts780

    Unfortunately the dude’s got Overwatch brain

  13. JackHammerPlower

    Basically stop whining and get in better shape. But let’s stop the narrative that he is the reason why they are losing. He is playing great against a much superior team and is only 25

  14. He’s been saying this for three seasons and Luka hasn’t done any of them yet lol

  15. likwitsnake

    Jokes aside I don’t understand how/why he’s so fat.

  16. Ok-Deer8144

    I know refs are suppose to be unbiased/professional all that crap. But they are human. There’s no way most of them don’t get annoyed by his constant whining and will purposely bite their whistle/ not call a foul when they see it.

  17. myloxyloto10

    doncic needs to be slim he cant hide that double chin with a beard.

  18. _Puff_Puff_Pass

    Jokic figured all this out about 5 years ago and it’s worked out quite well for him. I hope Luka does too because he has all time great potential.

  19. LeBarnacle

    I feel like all NBA coverage is negative nowadays.

    Like yes cool but I think since like January the writing was on the wall for this team in how deep they are everywhere. Luka is not a defensive stopper and has habits that need to be cleaned up for sure.

    But things like the Windhorst clip getting so much traction when on the flipside the Celtics have lost two games all postseason and we’re putscoring teams in the regular season by double digits is disingenuous.

    This coupled with the Jayson Tatum perception is lame.

  20. Bitter-Whole-7290

    I just want to know if he has meltdowns when he plays Overwatch. Like dude has to be reporting people that kill him as cheaters, right?

  21. Easy-Philosopher-562

    Dude looks fat out there. Even Jokic got in better shape.

  22. DyslexicWalkIntoABra

    Is Luka at risk of becoming a Shaq? Great player but a lot of the discourse will be about how he could’ve been even better if he cared more about his training and conditioning?

  23. JimboLodisC

    ok so now I know why they snatched Luka’s beer out of his hand

  24. Weary-Amoeba1808

    >He has shown improvement as a defender … at times.

    I would’ve thought that one of those times would be in the finals, but all he’s shown me is that he’s a worse defender than I thought.

  25. jcilomliwfgadtm

    Man, imagine Luka with Kobe’s work ethic.

  26. braindragon420

    He’s a star and he drinks a lot. Bad combo (guard)

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