The Los Angeles Lakers’ season came to a disappointing conclusion on Wednesday night. LeBron James and Luka Doncic came up short in Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, losing 103-96. Former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague voiced his opinion on the newest Lakers guard who, according to him, needs to commit to both sides of the ball.
Doncic and James faced an uphill climb heading into Game 5, needing to win three straight games in order to keep their championship dreams alive. Despite understanding the importance of the game, the Lakers couldn’t hack it against the Timberwolves, who once again held a lead throughout the game.
Teague provides his thoughts on the NBA and its players on Club 150, giving fans a look behind the curtain to the mindset of players competing on the court. The former Atlanta Hawks All-Star teed off on Doncic’s defensive shortcomings, asking for more effort.
“I hate watching Luka play now man,” said Teague about the young superstar. “His defense is so bad, everybody is Iso-ing you? I wasn’t even a defender, but not everybody Iso-ing me.”
Doncic was one of the many defensive targets that were on the court for Los Angeles throughout the series. He was so bad on that side of the floor that Teague couldn’t fully enjoy his offensive mastery.
“Luka bro, I ain’t going to lie, that s**t is bad to watch bro,” Teague said to Doncic. “I started to see people say his back hurts on defense. That s**** cool on offense though. Everybody kept saying it. His defense is so bad that I can’t even appreciate his offense.”
Doncic’s inability to stay in front of his defensive assignment put more pressure on James. The 40-year-old was forced to put more focus on the Lakers’ defense against the Timberwolves’ front line. Their lack of size and defense was a recipe for disaster for a Lakers squad that got exposed.
They enter their offseason with big questions to answer. However, they won’t be able to realize their potential if they can’t fix things defensively, including Doncic’s effort on that side of the floor.
