Luka Doncic named 'most dangerous player' in the Western Conference
Kendrick Perkins believes Luka Doncic is the "most dangerous player" in the Western Conference. His comments came on Monday's episode of ESPN's "First Take."
"I feel like Luka is the most dangerous player in the Western Conference," Perkins said. "...I think when you look at what Luka has been doing and what Kyrie has been doing. One could argue that they have been the most lethal duo in the game...When I look at the Western Conference, no teams wants to face that duo of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. Because both of those games are capable of having an explosive game on any night."
There's no doubt that Doncic is among the best offensive players in the league. However, his defense has been an issue throughout his career.
Other players in the West are more complete talents. For example, Kawhi Leonard is a viable first option on the offensive end and is a legitimate point-of-attack defender.
It's becoming common practice to anoint Doncic as one of the league's best players despite his clear defensive issues. There's also his lack of postseason success to contextualize.
Doncic has only been to one conference finals since entering the NBA. Last season, the Dallas Mavericks missed the playoffs entirely.
Doncic also operates in a heliocentric basketball system. Outside of a rim-running big man, Dallas is finding it difficult to pair him with other stars. He consumes too much of his team's offensive touches, which limits other players' effectiveness around him.
When it comes to counting stats and highlights, Doncic is among the best in the world. However, until he produces multiple deep postseason runs while getting his teammates involved, it's disingenuous to label him as the primary star of the Western Conference.
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