Luka Doncic says people don’t think he’s strong but he has ‘some of the most powerful legs in the NBA’

Even though it hasn’t been an easy start of the campaign for the Mavericks, the Texan franchise have found versatility in their roster despite many injuries and now possess a 22-15 record. Luka Doncic believes that part of the reasons why Dallas now sit comfortably in the Western Conference’s 6th rank is due to their defensive improvement.

The Mavs recently put in a clutch victory which saw them step over the Timberwolves 115 to 108. While Kyrie Irving led the charge to beat the Western leaders with 35 points, the Slovenian star contributed with 34.

“Stay the course,” said the young point guard after his team posted an 11-0 run in the final minutes. “We had good shots. We were just moving the ball really well today. That’s what we need to keep doing and trusting it.”

Luka Doncic: "I have one of the most powerful legs in the NBA." pic.twitter.com/XHhnKKwX5m

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This time, the 24-year-old wasn’t only impressive on the offensive side, but also showed outstanding individual defense against Minnesota. The superstar is convinced that this is mostly due to his elite lower-body strength.

“I’m strong. People don’t think that, but I think I have some of the most powerful legs in the NBA. I love it. We said we were going to double [Karl-Anthony Towns], but I said, ‘don’t double’. Let’s see if I can get a couple stops. I like playing post,” Luka said.

Doncic was even able to stop big man Karl-Anthony Towns in the fourth quarter. Only problem was that the Wolves usually play with both centers, as Rudy Gobert also presented a constant threat for the Mavericks defense.

The secret for the Slovenian is to stay in shape. “First, staying healthy,” he said about holding his team’s defense in the last minutes. “We’ve had a big problem with that this season. But we still hang in there. The last 10-15 games, we’ve been more active on defense. We’ve been playing better on defense.”

Co-star Kyrie Irving reveals the team feels extra motivated after beating the Western leaders

Reflecting on the game, Kyrie Irving admitted his squad was pumped after beating the Timberwolves, who hold the best record in the Western Conference. “It feels good when you can go blow-for-blow with one of the best teams in the league. In the regular season, it’s not too often you get to go against some of the best of the best in the league, and tonight was a great test for us,” he said after hitting 36 points last night.

The veteran guard then expressed that whenever the team adheres to the game plan, they usually earn victories. “We showed where we can still improve, but also it took an effort for us tonight to get this win,” Kyrie said.

Over the last 10 contests, Dallas have produced the third-best defensive rating in the NBA at 110.8. Doncic anticipated they are to become true-title contenders if they are able to maintain this effort.

“Everyone says, ‘your best offense is your defense,’” Luka expressed. “We play good defense, we get rebounds, we can run the floor and I think we’re one of the best teams in the NBA to do that. You have to score more points than the other team.”