Luka Doncic praises $9,523,810 ex-Mavs teammate's complementary playing style

Luka Doncic was honest when asked about his ex-Mavericks teammate, Derrick Jones Jr. Doncic and the Lakers defeated Jones Jr. and the Clippers in back-to-back fixtures. Doncic was stellar throughout those two games dropping a combined 60 points. Derrick Jones Jr. only played one of these games, recording eight points and four rebounds.

After the Lakers’ win in the second fixture on Sunday, Tomer Azarly asked Doncic what Jones Jr. brought to the Clippers. Here’s what Doncic had to say:

“First of all, he’s an amazing guy just to be around. Second, his defense, his ability to jump, his ability to shoot. Together, we were great, I think. Obviously, that’s one guy I miss. Maybe we’ll get some dinner now that we’re in L.A.”

Jones Jr.’s ability to leap paired well with Doncic during his time with the Dallas Mavericks. Jones ended up catching plenty of lobs thrown by the Slovenian superstar during his only season with Dallas.

The 28-year-old’s move to the Clippers seems to have paid off. Jones is set to make $9,523,810 during the 2024/25 season, as per Spotrac, and is now playing more minutes while averaging a career-high in points. At the time of writing, Jones Jr. averages 10.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.

"You’re going to die": JJ Redick on teams using drop coverage on Luka Doncic

JJ Redick’s Lakers made it six wins in a row after defeating the LA Clippers on Sunday. Doncic was key again, recording 29 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds in the winning effort.

Speaking after the game, Redick made a comment on teams that use drop coverage on the Slovenian superstar:

“The nature of playing with Luka Doncic, and we knew this when we traded for him, and again this is why you always have to be adaptable as a coach, the nature of playing with Luka Doncic is if you play drop coverage against him you’re going to die."

He further added:

“So teams are going to blitz. We have to do better and we’re going to figure that out. It helps when you can play all shooting lineups. I’m not concerned about that.”

Teams do blitz Doncic regularly and that’s where his elite playmaking comes in. Doncic is one of the best passers in the league and can often pass out of tough situations when opposing defenses try and blitz him. As Doncic and the team learn to play together over the coming games, their performance should only get better.