It’s hard to believe that it’s almost been a year since the Dallas Mavericks shipped Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Nico Harrison and the front office traded Doncic for his lack of proper conditioning and his defensive liabilities. They made their intention to win a championship clear. Head coach Jason Kidd, who was once publicly unhappy with him over his weaknesses, now appears impressed by him. But why the sudden appreciation?

“Yeah, he’s competing,” Kidd told reporters ahead of the Lakers-Mavericks game on Saturday night. “That’s nice. Last night, he was competing one-on-one with [James] Harden and Kawhi [Leonard]. So, he’s moving his feet. Again, he’s competing on both ends and try to help his team win.”

Kidd always tried to keep Doncic protected from opponents back in the day and provided him with the best possible defensive arsenal. However, he didn’t shy away from calling the franchise player out when needed. In 2022, when the Golden State Warriors defeated them 4-1 in the Western Conference Finals, the coach indirectly called out Doncic for being out of shape for a deep playoff run.

“Now, it’s about what’s our appetite come next season?” Kidd said. “Next season, are we going to be hungry? And then, are we going to train this summer to understand what it means to play until May and June?”

Even the Slovenian star himself admitted later that he had entered that season out of shape. But despite what Kidd says, Doncic’s current defensive numbers are worse than any of his previous seasons. So, is Kidd really being honest, or just sugarcoating his words before facing the Lakers?

Jason Kidd’s praise for Luka Doncic doesn’t add up…

Luka Doncic was fit after the past offseason conditioning. He looked lean and certainly quicker on his feet. In the loss against the Los Angeles Clippers, Doncic was trying to launch a comeback until the dying seconds, defending Harden with just under 20 seconds remaining in regulation. He even admitted post-game that the team’s defense was “excellent” in the second half, after a poor display to start the game.

But his defensive numbers are at a career-low. Doncic’s best defensive rating came in his rookie season (109.1) and in his fourth season with the Mavericks (106.5), the same campaign in which he showed up looking out of shape. However, this season, his defensive numbers have gotten worse, 115.4. In fact, it is the worst in his NBA career. Even more concerning is the Lakers’ defensive rating this season (116.50) with him on the floor.

However, the numbers are somewhat reductive in a deeper analysis. When Doncic played with the Mavericks, Kidd surrounded him with great defensive players. That is definitely not the same case in LA. JJ Redick’s team is among the worst defensive teams in the league. Doncic shares the starting lineup with LeBron James and Austin Reaves, making them perhaps the worst defensive superstar trio. They have allowed 122.34 points per 100 possessions this season.

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While the numbers paint a different picture than what Kidd said, Doncic and the Lakers need to return to winning ways on their eight-game road trip.