“He is so bad defensively that it’s laughable,” popular NBA reporter Zach Lowe said about Luka Doncic in April last year. Months later, that narrative around the new face of the Los Angeles Lakers, who are 34-22 this season, hasn’t changed. He is often considered the worst superstar defender among his peers. It has solely been his top production on the other side of the floor that has impacted his MVP chances.

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Doncic had slipped to the 6th spot in MVP odds (after the Boston Celtics blew out the Lakers), while Cade Cunningham maintained his place at 3rd behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic. However, after the Detroit Pistons star’s poor performance in the loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the internet exploded with opinions, led by Doncic’s large fanbase.

Cunningham scored just 16 points in 35 minutes on below 20% shooting from the floor. Although his scores were underwhelming, it was a clip of his lethargic defense that fans quickly latched onto. The play had Stephon Castle going for an easy dunk off a screen, while Cunningham strolled in the post, with no urgency to disrupt the shot.

While Cunningham has remained among the respected players on both ends of the court, his minus-17 in the Spurs game was alarmingly poor, and Doncic fans wasted no time taking advantage.

Luka Doncic fans influence the media narrative around Cade Cunningham’s defensive glitch

Doncic’s defensive efficiency and ratings have fluctuated throughout his career. However, it has been concerningly bad since he joined the Lakers. He is posting a defensive rating of 115.2 in February, worse than the 114.3 he posted last month. On the other hand, Cunningham is posting an impressive defensive rating of 109.5 points throughout the season. Regardless, Doncic fans had already made up their mind.

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“Luka > Cade. It’s not a discussion,” an observer wrote.

In his defense, Doncic (119.7) has a better offensive rating than Cunningham (117.9) across the season. The Lakers star also scores at least eight points more per game than the Pistons star, with almost the same game time. Doncic is arguably the best scorer of his generation. However, despite his talent, he has been harshly criticized by the media for a perceived lack of effort. A fan was quick to point that out.

“If that was Luka, the Media would spend all the week Trashing him,” a fan wrote.

However, emotions aside, Doncic’s defensive numbers are really concerning for the Lakers. In 9 games through December, Doncic’s defensive rating was 118.0.

For a superstar of his caliber, inconsistencies in defensive numbers are concerning and do matter in the MVP discussion. On the other hand, Cunningham has excelled in his defensive responsibility every season. Under JB Bickerstaff’s defensive system, he is averaging a career-high 1.4 steals and 0.9 blocks per game. These are great numbers for a guard, and a fan didn’t shy away from reminding everyone that this game was just an anomaly.

“Cade is a good defender. Why don’t you use any other game? He had a bad game. Foul trouble all game, and he played like s**t. It happens,” a fan posted.

However, another fan amped up the trolling, calling out a particular double standard being applied to Cunningham. In reality, the Pistons have seen strong defensive efforts from every player on the floor, and it has been a highly physical winning season (42-14).

“His defense is pushing players to the floor, then crying victim when they retaliate,” another Doncic fan commented.

In return, a fan called out the Lakers star’s supporters by throwing shade at them.

“Luka fc downbad now they in Cade talks omg,” an observer wrote.

Despite under-par offensive numbers, Cunningham recorded three blocks against the Spurs, something that Doncic hasn’t achieved all season. Cunningham also turns the ball over far less than the Lakers’ star, and the numbers bear this out.