{
  "id": 14259065,
  "title": "Former NBA big man calls Luka Doncic a 'high school defender'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/former-nba-big-man-calls-luka-doncic-a-high-school-defender",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-13T18:00:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/former-nba-big-man-calls-180046807.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former NBA veteran Olden Polynice recently criticized Luka Doncic's defensive abilities, stating that the superstar cannot be a high school defender and win a championship without playing defense. Polynice made these remarks on the Fast Break podcast, co-hosted by former Lakers star Byron Scott. The former big man asserted that it is impossible for a great offensive player to also be a high school defender. Polynice's comments come as Doncic has shown improvement in his defensive skills in recent seasons, ranking sixth in the NBA with 1.6 steals per game and maintaining better shape. However, the 27-year-old still has room for growth in his defensive abilities, and it remains to be seen if he will continue to improve as a defender, both on and off the ball.",
  "summary": "The days of people criticizing Luka Doncic for his apparent lack of defensive prowess aren't quite over yet.",
  "key_points": [
    "Former NBA veteran Olden Polynice criticized Luka Doncic's defensive abilities.",
    "Doncic has improved defensive skills, ranking sixth in NBA with 1.6 steals per game."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}