‘The team defense is more impressive in Europe’ – Luka Doncic compares Euro and NBA defenses

8 September, 2022

While most players are enjoying the offseason and taking some time off the court, Luka Doncic is still busy playing basketball at EuroBasket 2022. He is dominating his opponents in the competition and has also led Slovenia to several comprehensive victories.

Dominating basketball leagues in both Europe and North America isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but Doncic is one of those few talented players who have proven themselves in both continents. He has achieved many things and earned many accolades in both continents and has also established himself as one of the best European players of all time.

Doncic, who plays for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA, has had a couple of tough outings in the ongoing EuroBasket tournament, and he credits the rock-solid opposing defenses for that. The Mavericks’ giard believes that European teams have a superior defense than that of teams in the NBA.

“I think you have better defenders in the NBA obviously. But here in Europe the team defense is more impressive obviously,” Doncic said.

According to Doncic, the smaller size of the court forces the teams in the FIBA to be better in defense as a team.

“Because of the smaller court, you don’t have the three-second violation. So I think the team defense is very important.”

It’s not the first time that Doncic has gone on to compare the NBA and the European leagues. The Slovenian guard believes that it is way more easier to score in the NBA as the offensive players get more space to play due to larger size of the court.

As far as his performance in the ongoing EuroBasket 2022 goes, he has emerged out as one of the best players in the competition. He is the third best scorer in the tournament at present with 26.6 points. Doncic is also ranking 13th in rebounds with an average of 7.6 to his name.