Kevon Looney surrenders to Luka Doncic: "He is the hardest player to defend in the entire NBA"
The new center of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates sharing a team with the Slovenian star and ensures that playing by their side "will make life much easier."
Kevon Looney will no longer have to struggle trying to stop Luka Doncic. After years of facing the Slovenian star, the new center for Los Angeles Lakers admits he is thrilled to switch sides and become one of his teammates.
In an interview with the Mason & Ireland program on ESPN LA Radio, Looney confessed that guarding Doncic has been one of the toughest tasks of his career and explained why he considers the Lakers' point guard practically unstoppable.
"Playing against him is terrible, especially being a big man," Looney stated. "You're constantly involved in pick-and-rolls, he targets you in defensive switches, forces you to defend him one-on-one, and he's probably the hardest player to defend in one-on-one situations in the entire league."
The veteran big man recalled the numerous duels he had against Doncic, both in the regular season and in the playoffs when the Slovenian was still with the Dallas Mavericks, and he affirmed that he is now looking forward to the opportunity to play alongside him.
"I'm very excited to be on his team, learn from him, and run the pick-and-roll alongside him," he explained.
Looney considers Doncic the best playmaker in these types of actions and hopes to leverage that experience to improve his own performance.
"He's probably the best pick-and-roll player in the league, so I'm eager to learn how he wants me to set screens and all those things. He's one of the best players in the NBA, and playing with him makes my life much easier. I'm really excited."
Looney's words reflect the tremendous respect that Doncic commands among his own rivals. After years of trying to slow him down with little success, the center is embarking on a new chapter in Los Angeles convinced that sharing the court with one of the biggest NBA stars can also elevate his own game.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Kevon Looney se rinde a Luka Doncic: "Es el jugador más difícil de defender en toda la NBA"
