Honestly, Luka Doncic has had a sensational season. The 5X NBA All-Star is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the league. But in his first-ever Finals appearance, the Mavs star seems to be faltering. That’s because the Celtics are leading the series, 3-0, and Doncic has been under much scrutiny recently being termed “a hole on the court” for his underwhelming performances and on-court misdemeanor. He yelled at his mates and the referees too during Game 4. The jury is in on Luka, and it’s not looking good.

Player-turned-analyst Kendrick Perkins is not exactly known for mincing his words. On yesterday’s ESPN ‘First Take’ episode, the former NBA Champ went off on Doncic. He said, “Just a couple weeks ago we was talking about him being the best player in the league,  best in the series, he’s far from that right now, because of the defensive side of the ball and him being a defensive liability.”

“Before the finals started, all we was hearing ‘Was Luka the best player in the league’. He needed to complete the mission in order to get that crown,” said Perkins. He underlined the importance of performing well on both ends of the court. No one’s denying that the Slovenian isn’t passionate, he definitely is. But whatever he’s trying isn’t working at all. He’s notably not been fully fit, and he’s playing through multiple knocks. In the most recent game, we could see blood over his leg padding. However, there’s a heightened responsibility he has in these playoffs, not to say that the team is sometimes over-reliant on him.

“When it comes down to being the best player of the league, what these finals have shown us is that it’s two sides to a basketball. Doncic led the league in scoring this year, I get what he’s been doing offensively this postseason. But what has been poking out, badly, is the other side…not defending, not putting forth the effort.” Perkins did not stop there.

“When you’re the best player…you have to get it done on both ends. He hasn’t even been the best player in the series. That’s been Jaylen Brown. Even when Luka comes out of a game averaging 33, 11, and 11, Jaylen Brown has the better impact on the game.” And that’s because Brown is an overall, well-rounded player, a quality Luka is now showing signs of severely lacking. There have been multiple instances during which the Slovenian wasn’t in place to tag his marker Sam Hauser, the most recent case. JB and Co., in the last game itself, shot 21 more three-pointers compared to Dallas’ 25. While either side’s conversion rate is similar, the sheer volume difference is staggering.

Luka Doncic hits an unwanted record with his defensive woes

It is clear that Doncic is a little weak when it comes to the backcourt, a weakness that is clear to everyone. Even though Doncic is close to triple-doubling in many games during this year’s playoffs, the Celtics have taken advantage of his poor defensive play. According to Second Spectrum, the Celtics blew by Luka on 67.7% of their drives, the highest blow-by percentage recorded by any player in a playoff series in the last ten years!

In a recent game, his defensive shortcomings were more noticeable as he was fouled out from a postseason game for the first time after picking up 6 fouls. His slow footwork and lack of awareness during defensive possessions have given Boston’s scorers plenty of opportunities, as Tatum and Brown scored 31 and 30 points, respectively. Furthermore, Doncic has repeatedly attributed a number of his problems to the officiating crew. The player’s focus on contesting whistles has quite literally cost his team several points.

When asked about the fouls to his name, Doncic shook it off, saying, “We couldn’t play physical. I don’t know. I don’t want to say nothing. You know, six fouls in the NBA Finals, basically I’m like this…” he motioned with his palms out. “C’mon, man. Be better than that,” indirectly implying that the officials were at fault.

Luka Doncic’s one-sided genius is being tested as the Mavericks encounter formidable obstacles in the Finals. The impactful play on both ends of the court by Jaylen Brown, the probable MVP of the Finals, contrasts significantly with Luka’s defensive shortcomings. Does Dallas have it in them to stage a monumental comeback? The first step would be to end the Celtics’ clean-sweep chances.