Reggie Miller calls out Luka Doncic's poor defense after Lakers' blowout loss
Luka Doncic is one hell of a player. No doubt about it. His ability to light up the scoring column and put up numbers on the board has made him a top-tier talent in the NBA for the past couple of years. However, no matter how brilliant Doncic is on the offensive side of the ball, and more importantly, with the ball in his hands, it seems like there are always periods of the season where the talk of the town is his defensive effort. Or, better said, the lack thereof.
That was the case during the Los Angeles Lakers' Tuesday night 22-point blowout loss against the Detroit Pistons , when Hall of Famer Reggie Miller once again called out the Slovenian superstar for his obvious slacking on the defensive end.
"Look at Luka right here. It's OK, Luka, to move your feet a little bit over and help out. What does he do? He just throws up his hands. This would be frustrating for me," Miller said during a live broadcast. "And I love Luka. He is great for our game…"
Doncic is not pulling enough weight on the defensive end
Even though the Pistons have established themselves as bona fide leaders in the Eastern Conference, a loss like this from a team like the Lakers, often, rightly or wrongly, viewed right next to title contenders, is unacceptable. As a result, the vibe around Los Angeles is increasingly tense. Sure, Luka Magic still put up 30 points and 11 assists, but he shot just 40.9 percent from the floor and had a whopping eight turnovers. On top of that, he didn't manage to notch a single block or steal, which on paper would at least show some kind of defensive effort.
However, it seems like the example Miller called him out for is just one of many. In that particular play, Luka just stood and waved his hands around next to Jalen Duren , who penetrated the Lakers' defense with ease. For someone as fierce a competitor as Uncle Reggie was, that would have been intolerable during his playing days. And that's exactly the type of attitude Miller was pointing out, because this isn't new territory for Luka, nor is it the first time cameras have caught him complaining instead of sprinting back.
Fisher also called out Luka's bad habits
This is definitely not the first time Doncic has been criticized for his frequent whining at referees, which does more harm than good for his team. Just a couple of days ago, the former Lakers point guard, Derek Fisher, voiced his concern about the Slovenian superstar's habit of talking to the officials mid-game.
"How many times is he talking to referees, or how many times is his energy just completely focused on the next defensive possession. There's no time to talk to referees," said Fisher.
After the Lakers were the talk of the town in the opening weeks of the NBA season, largely thanks to Austin Reaves keeping them afloat, it seems JJ Redick 's squad has hit a wall. Sure, they are still 20-11 and sitting fifth in the Western Conference, but in the last 10 outings, they've lost six. It's not time to push the panic button in the City of Angels yet, but if Doncic doesn't start adjusting his signature style soon, it could spell trouble for the Lakers' title hopes.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 31, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
