Luka Doncic Explains Why It's Easier To Score In The NBA Than In Europe

In an appearance on 'The Old Man & The Three" this week, Mavericks star Luka Doncic opened up on why the game comes so easily for him in the NBA. Doubling down on an argument he made years ago, Doncic pointed out how the offense is much easier in the NBA than overseas for one particular reason: the defensive 3-second rule.

“Everybody says my game looks easy. It’s not easy. Trust me," said Doncic. "But when I said that [about the NBA] many people didn't agree with me. I think now they are starting to agree more and more, but I always say it's because of the rules. The three seconds in the paint in defense is huge, I don't think people realize how huge that is. Because when I'm iso-ing, I watch the defender in the paint because he's got to go out at some point. When he's going out, I try to attack."

A few years ago, Luka Doncic made headlines when he claimed that scoring in Europe was harder than in the NBA, but it appears that his comments were not too far off from the truth. There has been a growing movement to abolish the defensive 3 seconds rule but the NBA has shown no interest in making the change. With today's scoring at an all-time high, the league is clearly pushing for more action, and letting big men crowd the paint would only slow down the scoring pace for teams across the league. For Luka, having spent years in the EuroLeague (where there is no defensive 3-second rule), he was playing with a defender under the rim at all times and it gave him an added advantage when he got to the NBA and saw big men coming out of the paint every few seconds. 

Today, with averages of 34.5 points, 9.4 assists, and 8.8 rebounds per game on 48.7% shooting, there is no question that Luka Doncic is one of the best basketball players in the world. Unfortunately, since making a run to the Western Conference Finals in 2022, the Mavericks have been unable to gain any traction in the West and they are still looking for ways to improve the roster around Luka Doncic. From Kristaps Porzingis to Jalen Brunson and Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks have cycled through several co-stars for Doncic and none have been able to turn the Mavericks into a legitimate contender.

This season has been more of the same for Dallas. As Doncic continues his MVP-level play, his teammates continue to be shaky at every turn, starting from Kyrie Irving who has been in and out with injuries all season long. Fresh off a trade for PJ Washington, Dallas is hoping that they can make a run in the second half of the season to gear up for a brutal playoff fight. But regardless of what happens, you can always count on Luka to take care of business and make things look easy on the court even when they're not. For him to reach his ultimate potential as a player, and rise to the ranks of the NBA legends, he's going to have to get it done in the playoffs and lead the Mavericks to their first Finals run since 2011. At just 24 years old it's fair to say that Doncic is off to a good start in his career and he's so far ahead of schedule when it comes to being a leader and face of a franchise.