Fans of the Los Angeles Lakers are hoping that all of the work star guard Luka Doncic has put in to get his body right this offseason will pay dividends on the defensive end of the floor in the coming season. Doncic has long received flak regarding his impact, or lack thereof, on that end.
Former NBA big man Samaki Walker played for the Lakers for two seasons, and he thinks Doncic has something to prove as a defender heading into his first full season in Los Angeles. Walker, who won a ring with the Lakers, also hinted that Doncic “disrespected” the NBA at times in recent years.
“Look, man, the guy is a basketball savant,” Walker said of Doncic. “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.”
Walker’s remarks that it takes more than just being physically fit to be a strong defensive player validate what Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce said about Doncic’s defensive chops a few months back.
The Lakers got eliminated in the opening round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels had an effective field goal percentage of 68.8 when guarded by Doncic in the series. After the Lakers got bounced from the playoffs, Pierce blamed Doncic’s mentality rather than his weight for his defensive play.
Doncic now might have the mentality needed to improve on the defensive end, however, as he recently revealed that the true motivation behind his body transformation this summer is a desire to win a championship. Helping the Lakers earn their 18th championship in team history appears to be a priority for Doncic as he heads into his first full season with the team.
Playing alongside a former Defensive Player of the Year in the coming season will likely only help Doncic hone his game mentally and physically on that end. Newcomer Marcus Smart won the coveted award back when he played for the Celtics. Smart has also been named to the All-Defensive First Team on several occasions throughout his pro career.
Here’s to hoping that Doncic will be a new and improved defensive player in the 2025-26 season.