Why Luka Doncic turned to LeBron James on was actually a compliment to the Lakers star

One of the great television lines in history comes from The Wire, when Omar reminds Wee-Bey: “Come to the King, you better not miss.” Luka Doncic went to the King on Tuesday night. There was some context in the decision to change the hunt and isolate LeBron, which we will consider. But in the end Luke went to the King. And he didn’t miss it.

Doncic, by his standards, did not have a great night in the Mavericks’ 109-104 victory over the Lakers. He finished with 25 points, but shot only 9-for-21 and missed all five of his 3 points. But Doncic took the time to make money, and LeBron could do nothing about it.

Here Doncic calls a ball from Dorian Feeney-Smith to get James involved. Doncic obviously wants a one-on-one match, and although LeBron is doing well with Doncic’s strengths, cutting off the paint and forcing him to leave, Luca hits him with a nasty fading of one leg, making LeBron helpless.

Thirty seconds later, Doncic chased LeBron again, who again played a pretty decent defense, even initially disrupting Luca’s dribble. But he can only stay with him that long, and Doncic eventually defeats LeBron down, launching the domino effect of weak assistant Stanley Johnson, who must step up, leaving Dwight Powell wide open behind his forehead.

Less than a minute later, Doncic called on the screen again to direct LeBron to him. Again, LeBron made it difficult for Luca to cut off his path with a physical blow, but Doncic did not worry. The big, physical player himself, he just bounces off LeBron, turns the corner and launches a high arc shot, which is not as easy a shot as it seems.

When you hear the “switch hunt” in today’s NBA language, the implication is that it is a weak defender. A man like Luke calls out a screen from the most vulnerable defender, gets the switch, and then prepares the sitting duck.

But in this case, isolating Doncic to LeBron is probably more about eliminating James as an assistant defender. It was actually a compliment. Or at least a blow to the other Lakers defenders. Malik Monk, Russell Westbrook, Stanley Johnson and Tallon Horton-Tucker are not the same threat that comes to disrupt Doncic’s creative endeavors.

If LeBron – a smart, overtaking defender – stays out of the ball, he is more likely to miss the pass or double Doncic late and affect his shot. Since LeBron is keeping the Doncic heads-up, Luca knows that help is a less important factor and he can at least play one on one. Even against a better individual defender, Luca rightly likes his chances of isolation to create a lever for his own strike or for a teammate. And he was right.

When Dallas hired Jason Kidd as its head coach, assessments began to be made of how bad the decision was. Kidd had not shown in previous stops that he was capable of creating advanced Xs and Os advantages. In fact, he often did things to the detriment of his team. But it’s time to pay tribute to Kidd for his role in building a defensive culture in Dallas, and this strategy against LeBron and the Lakers was another sensible move.

Kidd did not make Luca chase LeBron throughout the game. He waited until the score was in balance, then devised a strategy when the Lakers did not expect it, and it won the Mavericks three decisive passes in a section of play that could have developed in any way. Coaching matters. Not so much as having great players like Luca and LeBron, but it matters. Dallas looks more and more in better hands than we thought.