When Zach Lowe speaks, you listen.
The esteemed NBA pundit — formerly of ESPN and now with The Ringer — is widely considered to be the most sophisticated analyzer of professional basketball. Not only is Lowe highly prepared and thoughtful, but he’s notoriously fair. You won’t see him play favorites under virtually any circumstance.
For as much as Lowe appreciates Luka Doncic as a player, even the Slovenian star isn’t absolved from receiving criticism from Lowe.
On the new Zach Lowe Show, Lowe went to town on Doncic’s defensive effort in the Game 4 loss to Minnesota. Lowe called him “helpless” and questioned why Doncic allegedly waits to put in effort on defense when the team’s back is against the wall rather than when the series begins.
“He’s just helpless.”@ZachLowe_NBA reacts to the defensive effort from Luka Doncic four games into the series vs. Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/B3Moxnq3n7
— The Ringer (@ringer) April 28, 2025
The usually mild-mannered Lowe rhetorically challenged Doncic to “put up a f****** fight.”
Lowe is not alone in thinking Doncic struggles on that end of the floor. It’s presumably why Nico Harrison jettisoned him from Dallas in the first place, and why many are skeptical as to whether he can defend well enough not to be a major disaster.
Minnesota certainly took advantage of Doncic’s lack of first-step quickness. By isolating Doncic on screens and getting him on the move, the Wolves were able to get into the lane past Doncic where virtually no rim protection awaited clear shots in the paint or at the rim. It’s a major problem the Lakers cannot solve as currently constituted with the personnel they have.
A lot of crazy talk about Luka’s defense last night. Here are the stats. Wolves shot 40% (10/25, 4/11 from 3) with Luka as the primary defender. Wolves had a better FG% against every other Lakers player except LeBron and DFS. Luka also contested the most shots among Lakers.
— Matej Sportinfo (@MatejSportinfo) April 28, 2025
Doncic is a proud player, and it’ll be interesting to see how he comes out in an elimination situation. There’s a real chance that Lowe’s words will motivate him to put forth a better effort. Doncic will never be an excellent defender, but he does have great hands, elite basketball I.Q., and a strong frame. With some effort, he has proven to be passable defensively in the past, at the very worst, not totally detrimental to his team.
All eyes will be on Doncic Wednesday night in Los Angeles as the Lakers try to avoid elimination.
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