Michael Cooper of the Los Angeles Lakers isn’t exactly the biggest fan of Luka Doncic, despite the fact that he is one of the finest players in the NBA right now. Michael Cooper played ‘Start, Bench, and Cut’ with Doncic, Damian Lillard, and Kyrie Irving on the most recent episode of the Showtime Podcast. Surprisingly, Cooper did not start the Slovenian.
Cooper advised starting Dame, benching Luka, and cutting Kyrie.
Since Irving and Lillard are the same player, Cooper benched him. Then he clarified that Doncic doesn’t start because he prefers quick and athletic guys.
Cooper said, “Luka gives you that triple-double pretty much any night, but he’s too slow for me.” Should he not be a scorer, I would bench him. However, you have to give the guy credit—he can score. He doesn’t hustle back on defense, in my opinion, and is sluggish.”
(beginning at 2:27):
Doncic has been called slow and lazy before by others, and Cooper isn’t the only one. During the Dallas Mavericks star’s game against the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals, his reputation undoubtedly suffered.
Against the Celtics, Doncic made a lot of mistakes on defense and didn’t put in much effort. Though the 25-year-old was playing through an ailment and his movements were obviously a little limited, I do have some pity for him.
In spite of everything, Doncic finished the Finals with averages of 29.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.6 steals per game. He was the Mavericks’ best player by a wide margin, and I didn’t think much of him when they lost in five games.
Returning to Cooper’s remarks, it may not come as a huge surprise that he isn’t the biggest admirer of Doncic given the type of player he was. Throughout his 12-year Lakers career, he was named to eight All-Defensive teams and won DPOY in 1987. Cooper should naturally be drawn to players who play similarly to him, which Doncic most definitely does not.
Luka Doncic Was Named as the Worst All-Star by LeSean McCoy
LeSean McCoy, a former NFL player, made some odd remarks about Luka after the 2024 NBA Finals, which make Cooper’s remarks look less harsh. Doncic was the worst All-Star McCoy has ever seen, he said.
McCoy declared, “Luka is the worst All-Star I’ve ever seen in my life.” He is capable of scoring, passing, rebounding, and all of that. He is not trying to defend. He has no desire to play defense. He does not hustle to get loose balls or to get free rebounds.”
“My son wants to play basketball, but he doesn’t feel pressure to play well, and I won’t allow him to. I’m not going to let him watch his tape. I do not want you to take lessons from such a celebrity. Not a rush. Absent any attitude. Not concerned. Absurd.”
There, McCoy went a little too far. Over the years, we have witnessed a good number of All-Stars who neither hustle on the court nor put forth any effort on defense. In addition, I disagree with McCoy wholeheartedly that Doncic doesn’t give a damn. If that were the case, the five-time All-Star wouldn’t have been on the floor at all. I believe that people should be a little lenient toward him because he was hurt.
Leave a Reply