What role did Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown play in the Luka Doncic trade?
NBA insider Marc Spears was on Cedric Maxwell’s podcast this week and explained how Jaylen Brown’s defense on Luka Doncic in the NBA finals helped lead to the point guard’s trade to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“[Jaylen Brown] is the reason why Luka got traded, he shut him down in the finals. What he did to Luka in the finals shutting him down, guarding him full court, making it unbearable offensively led Dallas to start questioning Luka as the leader of this team and questioning whether he was in shape or not,” said Spears.
This echoes reports from the Atheltic’s Sam Amick that said certain members of the Mavs organization were worried about Luka Doncic’s habits.
“Make no mistake, the people who witnessed Dončić’s last days in Dallas do not paint a flattering portrait of the 25-year-old’s professionalism. They call him lazy. They talk about the weight issues that were such a frequent frustration within their walls. They mention the social habits that The Athletic has reported on — such as a taste for beer and hookah — which have been a point of concern for NBA types since he was a 19-year-old star for Real Madrid who was entering the NBA Draft. They predict his basketball demise, highlighting a health history that, as some see it, will likely lead to catastrophe in the next five years or so,” said Amick.
Doncic played the Dallas Mavericks for the first time in his career on Tuesday and though he struggled from the floor (6 of 17 from the field) he scored 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists in the 107-99 win by the Lakers over the Mavs.
The teams will play again at least one more time this season when Doncic returns to the American Airlines Center at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9.
