Luka Doncic's Conditioning And Defense Are Once Again An Issue In The Playoffs And There Is Probably Not A Happier Person On The Planet Earth Right Now Than Nico Harrison

Justin Ford. Getty Images.

In case you missed it, the Los Angeles Lakers' season is on life support. A team that many penciled in as someone who would make the Finals or at the very least make the WCF is now on the verge of yet another first round exit. Given that also happened last season, it would now give the Lakers a total of 3 first round exits (and one missed playoffs) in the last 5 seasons. Not great! 

Part of their struggles this time around comes via something that shouldn't be all that surprising if you watched the playoffs last year. Suddenly, Lakers fans are just now realizing that Luka Doncic is out of shape, and once games move to the playoffs, his conditioning and lack of defense end up being a pretty big deal. Sure, he's giving you 30+ point games on one end, but what good does that do if he's immediately giving it back on the other? That's not how you win in the postseason

Given the fact that JJ Redick refused to make a single substitution in the entire second half, it's no surprise that Luka clearly ran out of gas, which was a pretty important issue given he finished just 1-6 (0-2) in the 4th quarter last night in a game that was relatively close entering the final frame. LeBron also didn't score in the 4th either and that wasn't exactly great, but it speaks to a larger problem that the Lakers (and their fans) now have to face that isn't all that different from what Mavs fans had to deal with last year.

Once again, Luka is sneaky being exposed in a playoff series against a tough physical opponent that requires him to play even an ounce of defense. One would think that after we all saw what took place in the Finals that Luka would come back motivated and be better on that end, but that clearly hasn't happened. Now, it's simply Lakers fans who are trying to spinzone this the same way Mavs fans did last year. Always an excuse, the bad defense is actually by design, he's hurt etc. I'm sorry, just 1 rebound in this game? 

Where's the effort/conditioning to be at your best, even with high minutes? We see other superstar young players do this all the time. Jayson Tatum just played 43+ minutes and had 16 points in the 4th quarter. Ant played 44 minutes yesterday and found a way to be a monster for a full 4 quarters. So what's Luka's excuse?

Which brings me back to the title of this blog. You know who has to be LOVING this right now? Nico Harrison. Let's be honest, the guy has been desperate for any type of win since February 2nd. Every passing day has been a disaster for Nico and his decision to trade Luka. He's been clowned by every corner of the globe and then some, and mostly for good reason.

But now? Something tells me he's watching all this unfold like this

Of the 16 teams in the playoffs, the Lakers are 14th in defense with a 118.9 DRTG. If we looked at how that would compare during the regular season, it would be good for the 28th worst defense in the NBA, being slightly worse than the Wizards.

How much is this due to Luka? It's hard to really say for sure, but all we can do is look at the on/off splits so far in this series.

With Luka on the floor, the Lakers have a 122.6 DRTG. When he steps off the floor? A 108.8 DRTG. Pretty big! Considering the Lakers offense only has a 115 ORTG with him on, it's not as if his offense is even making a difference. They're still a -6.79 net when Luka plays so far in this series.

Remember when Nico Harrison declared "defense wins championships" and the team made this move because they did not believe Luka could be good enough to be a passable playoff defender? Through 4 games, this has all kind of been Nico's point.  I'm not saying it completely exonerates him for the trade, but this is probably the foundation of his vision. Perhaps the problem wasn't thinking Luka might not be the guy, but instead how Nico went about the trade by not getting any other offers. Right idea, wrong execution might be the best way to say it.

When it comes to guys attacking Luka, everyone seems to be able to feast, similar to what we saw in the Finals against Boston. Jaden McDaniels has OWNED that matchup, and it's a huge reason why the Wolves are up 3-1. The Lakers are trying to hide Luka on whoever they feel won't be able to hurt them offensively, and then that guy immediately hurts them offensively. Accident? I don't think so

He's now up to 31 points on just 21 shots while going up against Luka, and is shooting close to 60% for the series altogether.

This is the problem with Luka rosters in the playoffs. You cannot hide him. He's going to be hunted, and he shows no signs of being able to provide the necessary resistance that's required when teams go to that strategy. Add in the Lakers already have to cover for the defensive issues of Austin Reaves, and it's not really surprising that the Wolves are having their way with LA through the first 4 games. 

The reason this matters is that the Lakers are essentially locked into Luka as their next franchise player. LeBron will only be around for so long, and at some point, they're going to have to build a non-LeBron roster around Doncic while trying to compete for titles. If his defense never improves, they're cooked. Your best player CANNOT be a target like this on the defensive end, and I don't care how talented or productive he is offensively. Given how the rest of the Lakers roster looks, it's only shed more of a light on how brutal it is to need Luka to play even an ounce of defense. 

So was Nico Harrison actually right all along? It's still too early to tell. He's still a bozo for how he handled the entire trade, even if his reasoning is starting to be proven right. At the very least, the return he got for Luka could have been much better. No matter how bad Luka's conditioning and defense may be, nothing will ever change that aspect of the deal. But hey, for a guy who desperately needed a win, so far Nico can feel somewhat validated.