The Los Angeles Lakers have spent the offseason reshaping around Luka Doncic, and that reality makes one fresh challenge from the other side of the league stand out a little more. With LeBron James gone in free agency and Walker Kessler coming in via trade, the Lakers have made their big swing. The roster still comes with plenty of questions, but the direction is clear: this is Doncic’s team now.
That’s part of why AJ Dybantsa’s comments hit with some force. The Washington Wizards’ newly minted No. 1 overall pick praised Doncic while also daring to test him in the most direct way possible.
“I watched Luka play live, and it’s so easy for him. I just want to be on the defensive end and just see if it’s that easy,” said Dybantsa, per Nico Martinez of Fadeaway World.
“This sounds crazy, but I just want to be on like an ISO island. This sounds crazy, but I want to be on an ISO island and just really see if he’s moving that slow.”
Dybantsa isn’t the first player to look at Doncic and wonder how someone who doesn’t rely on burst or top-end speed keeps carving up defenses. The answer has been there for years: Doncic’s timing, balance, and high release point make him a nightmare in isolation, and NBA teams still haven’t really solved that problem through eight seasons.
That won’t stop Dybantsa from trying when the Lakers and Wizards meet this season. Those dates will be revealed when the NBA schedule comes out later this month.
Until then, the Lakers will keep looking for any additional moves they can make before the new season starts.
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Lakers Just Lost One Of Their Clearest Wing Fits
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For the Lakers, the timing matters because Marshall had been one of the cleaner roster fits to monitor, especially for a team always searching for sturdier perimeter help. He is still technically trade-eligible under NBA rules, so the door is not completely closed, but Dallas has made its stance clear enough that Los Angeles will have to look elsewhere unless the market changes in a bigger way. [Read more 🡒]