Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash knows a thing or two about being a hard puzzle to solve for opposing defenses. After all, the two-time NBA MVP was a handful to guard as a player back in the day. Ahead of the Nets' hosting of the Dallas Mavericks at Barclays Center on Saturday, Nash is already preparing to deal with the all-around game of Mavs superstar Luka Doncic.
Here's what Nash had to say about facing Luka's magic for the first time this season.
Nash on challenge of facing Doncic: "You look at Luka, he poses every challenge in the book. He scores, he draws fouls, he makes plays for teammates at an incredibly elite level."
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) February 27, 2021
Steve Nash and the Nets have all the reasons to be wary of the Mavs' Slovenian sensation, who has been tearing it up for Dallas in his third season. In 30 games so far, Doncic has been leading his team in several categories, norming 28.5 points on 47.4 percent shooting from the field and 35.3 from long distance, along with 8.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists.
The Mavs, of course, have had mixed results in the first half of the 2020-21 campaign, currently out of the playoff picture in the West with an underwhelming 15-16 slate. Still, Nash is aware that Dallas has all the tools to sneak up on teams, especially if they allow Luka to get hot.
The Nets, meanwhile, own the longest active winning streak in the league at the moment, emerging as winners in their last eight outings. They are currently just half a game behind the first spot in the East and could leapfrog the Philadelphia 76ers with a win against the Mavs.
Apart from trying to contain Doncic, Steve Nash must also devise a plan to slow down Kristaps Porzingis who is expected to suit up for the Nets after return from a three-game absence.
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