How Will The Phoenix Suns Defend Luka Doncic During The Western Conference Semifinals?

As Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks tips-off on Monday night at the Footprint Center, an intriguing storyline looms over this enticing matchup. Phoenix is the heavy odds-on favorite, but could the Mavericks pull off the unthinkable and advance this deep into the postseason for the first time in over a decade?

No surprise, but the Mavericks’ hopes and dreams rely upon superstar Luka Doncic to single-handedly carry them across the finish line. Although Jalen Brunson has been a huge asset for Dallas, this is a tough matchup for the former Villanova Wildcat.

For Dallas to have a realistic shot in this series, Doncic will have to carve up the Suns’ defense while their shooters stay hot throughout. Whether it be Brunson, Maxi Kleber, Dwight Powell, etc. hitting three-pointers at an above-average clip will be of the upmost importance against the juggernaut that is Phoenix.

The Suns are entering into this series knowing the stakes and the type of opponent they are squaring off with. Doncic present his own unique challenges for Phoenix, but there’s more layers to peel here upon this subject.

How exactly will the Suns be able to defend Doncic? Entering into the 2021-22 season as the NBA MVP favorite, Doncic went on to average 28.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.7 assists on an excellent 57.1 true shooting percentage. Running the show for Dallas as a jumbo-sized playmaker who can score from any level on the floor, there’s a real possibility we see a full-on takeover for multiple games.

“I mean, damn near everything,” Suns center Deandre Ayton said of trying to defend Doncic. “The man do everything. He knows where his guys are at on the floor. He can get to the rim anytime. Everybody knows about his step-back three. He’s a playmaker, man. We have our hands full. It really have to be a team effort with him. Just mainly defend him as a team and just making sure we don’t let him get too hot out there.”

High praise for Doncic from the 2018 No. 1 overall pick, and the Slovenian phenom has had prior success against the Suns’ best defender in Mikal Bridges. During their career one-on-one matchups on various possessions, Doncic is shooting 27-of-51 (52.9%) when guarded by Bridges.

With Doncic being able to steadily cook Phoenix’s NBA Defensive Player of the Year runner-up more often than not, expect to see a different look from one of the Associaiton’s best units on that end of the floor. Bridges has had immense success against smaller ball handlers, so expect to see him early and often on his former college teammate in Brunson. Meanwhile, the strength and size of Suns veteran forward Jae Crowder will get the first crack at trying to defend Doncic.

Phoenix will not keep it that simplistic against a player like Doncic. Crowder and Bridges are going to draw plenty of looks on Doncic, but heavy switching could be in store here from Phoenix. In the Suns’ first-round series against the New Orleans Pelicans, their best strategy at guarding wing Brandon Ingram was switching and Bridges, rotating those consistently throughout a game.

In the postseason, Doncic is already one of the NBA’s best putting up bonkers numbers. Doncic is averaging 32.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 8.8 assists in 16 career playoff games with Dallas. Far and away the Mavericks’ best offensive option, he simply becomes unstoppable for long stretches of games.

“In a playoff game, he’s probably going to be a different beast,” Ayton said of Doncic. “But we’re going to try our best just to mainly stay out of foul trouble and moving our feet without fouling. Just playing to the level of the legal physicality out there, rebound the ball and close out possessions.”

Defending Doncic will be an entirely different experience for these battle-tested Suns. However, they very much seem up to the task. Whichever way the Doncic angle falls for Phoenix will decide how this series unfolds. Game 1 on Monday night in Phoenix will tell us a lot about how it could go early and often in what should be a closely-contested series.