Jason Kidd, Mavericks Players Have Told Luka Doncic To Stop Whining To Refs, Give More Effort On Defense, Be In Better Shape

According to NBA insider Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Jason Kidd and Dallas Mavericks players have told Luka Doncic to stop whining to refs, give more effort on defense and get in better shape. 

The Mavericks are down 3-0 to the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals. Doncic has complained to refs all series and his defense has been poor. 

“In the three seasons he has coached Doncic, Kidd has told him several truths: that he needed to stop making enemies of officials with persistent whining; that he needed to give a more consistent effort on defense; and that he needed to get in better shape to be at his best when his team needed him,” Shelburne wrote. “Kidd has said these things publicly and privately. So have Doncic’s teammates in Dallas and on the Slovenian national team.”

Doncic fouled out in Game 3 of the Finals. He apologized to his teammates after the game. 

“Sometimes I don’t show it the right way, but at the end of the day, I really want to win,” Doncic said Thursday. “I’ve got to do a better job showing it in a different way.”

According to Second Spectrum, Doncic has allowed the three highest blow-by percentages on drives in a playoff series in the past 10 years. In the first round, the Los Angeles Clippers drove past him 65.2% of the time. In the second round, the Oklahoma City Thunder blew past him on defense 59% of the time.

Against the Celtics, that percentage has increased to 67.7%.

“That’s what the Celtics are very good at doing, is making sure when they go hunting, they get the guy that they want,” Kidd said.

Doncic is averaging 29.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.3 steals and 5.0 turnovers in the Finals while shooting 47.3% from the field, 32.1% from beyond the arc and 58.8% from the free-throw line. 

The Celtics are on their way to winning the title. No team in NBA history has come back from a 3-0 series deficit.