Billy Donovan shares how none of the defensive schemes they had planned for Luka Doncic worked

Trying to stop Luka Doncic proved futile for the Chicago Bulls.

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Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is a unique basketball talent the NBA has never seen before. The Chicago Bulls got a first-hand look at his dominance when the Slovenian shredded every defensive coverage they threw at him in the 127-92 beatdown they received on Monday at the United Center.

After the game, Bulls coach Billy Donovan admitted that none of the defensive schemes they had planned for Doncic worked.

Tried a little bit of everything

At 6-foot-7, Doncic is a big guard who can shoot, pass, and handle the ball like a point guard. He poses a challenge to any defense, as he has the size to finish at the rim and the skill to knock down shots from beyond the arc. 

More than anything, his savviness puts him head and shoulders above everybody else in the NBA. Having seen nearly every defensive scheme thrown his way, Doncic has become a master at reading and reacting to the defense. This allows him to make the right play every time, whether creating for himself or setting up his teammates.

In Monday’s game against the Bulls, Doncic showed off his impressive offensive arsenal. He scored 27 points, dished out 14 assists, and grabbed 12 rebounds in the easy win.

“We tried to blitz a little bit and trap him,” Donovan revealed.

“We did some switching and tried to go back and hit. We didn’t really execute, in my opinion, well enough, any of the coverages we were in.”

pic.twitter.com/jD1uYj5Men

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) March 12, 2024

Picked the Bulls’ defense apart

Bulls' ace DeMar DeRozan shared that Luka's impressive numbers were not due to any lack of effort on Chicago's behalf. The Bulls’ scouting report surely had several pages worth of notes on how to stop Doncic, but he still managed to pick them apart with ease.

“You gotta give credit to Luka, you know, just picking it apart,” DeRozan said.

“We were trying to be there for one another, take away stuff at the rim, while also trying to be ready for close out threes. He kind of broke us apart. He found spots, got the ball to people, throwing it up to them. They’ve got a great feel for one another.”

The rook is havin’ himself a season 💪@DereckLively // #MFFL pic.twitter.com/8npGpVRerN

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) March 12, 2024

The Chicago Bulls' response to the loss to the Dallas Mavericks will be essential as the regular season winds down