Former Boston Celtics star Paul Pierce pointed out Luka Doncic’s poor defense as a major flaw in his status of the best player in the NBA.
During an appearance on the No Fouls Given show, Paul Pierce criticized some aspects of the Los Angeles Lakers star’s game. Luka Doncic is widely recognized as one of the most talented players and scorers in the NBA, yet certain weaknesses are often highlighted, such as his defensive play or physical conditioning.
Claim Now Pierce specifically singled out defense as a significant factor limiting Doncic’s status and candidacy for the title of the league’s best player:
“You can’t be the best player in the league without playing on both sides of the ball. Luka will win an MVP one day, but… currently we are talking about him as like the fourth or fifth best player in the league, but not the best. If we started seeing Luka rev it up on the defensive end, right now we would be talking about him being the best in the league.”
James Harden won the MVP, but I don’t know that at any point we talked about James being the best player in the league. So you can win MVP, but it factors in a lot to be THE guy, the best.”
Paul Pierce says Luka will win a MVP one day but never be considered the best player in the league because of his lack of defense
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) January 19, 2026
“We have never said Luka was the best player in the league because of his defense. If we started seeing Luka rev it up on the defensive end like… pic.twitter.com/QEw7BIiHXS
