When Nico Harrison traded Luka Doncic at last month’s deadline, he hinted that a crucial reason behind it was the superstar’s concerning defense. “The players that we’re bringing in, we believe, exemplify that [culture]. Defense wins championships, and we’re bringing in one of the best two-way players in the league…” The GM said, backing his decision to pick Anthony Davis over Luka.

The truth is, Luka is so great offensively that his defense often gets overlooked. However, that’s not been the case since he has come under JJ Redick’s wing. While the Slovenian star is still putting up All-NBA numbers, Redick has also unlocked his defensive prowess – something that Jason Kidd failed to do in Dallas, at least to this extent.

ESPN’s on-air announcers for tonight’s Lakers vs Nuggets clash, Mike Breen and Tim Legler even highlighted this during the live broadcast, “He’s (Luka) got great instincts, obviously, offensively, but JJ Reddick says he’s got excellent instincts defensively too. He just hasn’t always had that full-time commitment to defense,” said Breen.

His colleague, Legler, backed this claim by adding, “You know, he’s got the IQ for it, and then he also has a component that’s so important for teams defensively… But, Luka ends defensive possessions because he’s such a great defensive rebounder. It’s such a weapon to have as your point guard, a guy that can regularly get eight to ten defensive boards a game.”

Yes, Doncic is a constant triple-double threat, and that does not happen if you’re not an elite defender. Since joining the Lakers, he is averaging 7.7 defensive rebounds. Moreover, he has been extremely quick at picking his opponents’ pockets, getting 1.9 steals per game.

Because of Luka’s presence, the Lakers have had the fifth-best defensive rating since the All-Star break, at 110.8. Obviously, JJ has been pretty vocal about Luka’s underappreciated quality.

JJ Redick praises Luka Doncic’s defense as Lakers legend deems him heir to LeBron James

While Doncic struggled a bit offensively during his early days in LA, his defense kept him going. Ironically, that quality proved crucial when he faced the Mavs last month for the first time since the trade. Redick even addressed it in the post-game presser, “It wasn’t a great shooting night, but he made a lot of plays and had some good defensive moments as well.”

Just proves that Doncic can play on both ends when needed.

Due to his versatility, Lakers legend Magic Johnson has even set some high expectations for the Slovenian star, “I thought it was good in terms of, you have somebody later as a star after LeBron retires. Offensively, it’s a good team. It’s a team you got to say, ‘Ok, we got two guys we got to try to control and stop, but both of those two guys are great passers, so they make the other players better.’”

It’s true, the Lakers have a superstar every time they step foot on the court.

Similar to LeBron, Luka possesses the unique ability to elevate the performance of his teammates. Just look at Jaxson Hayes’ growth since Doncic’s arrival, as he is now getting easy lobs at the rim because of Luka’s playmaking ability. So, he seems like the perfect heir once LBJ decides to hang his boots.

Moreover, if Redick continues to enhance Luka’s defense, he could be a pillar for the Lakers franchise for years to come. Thoughts?