Court Vision: Luka Doncic's defensive shortcomings were overblown

Welcome to Court Vision, a weekly video-breakdown column on emerging trends around the NBA that you might have missed.

Luka Doncic isn't that bad on defense

The automatic assumption for every European prospect is they won't be able to defend at a high level, and Luka Doncic was no exception. Before the draft, he was universally praised for his scoring and playmaking, but almost every scouting report expressed concerns about the other end of the court.

Well, it's only been eight games, but Doncic has held up fine on defense. The Mavericks' defensive rating is better with him on the bench, but that's the case for all their starters. Meanwhile, the individual metrics are promising - Doncic grades out as above average in both pick-and-roll defense (0.75 points per possession) and against spot-ups (0.50 PPP), and those two play types have accounted for nearly two-thirds of his defensive possessions.

The eye test backs up the numbers. Doncic is slower than your average 19-year-old rookie and gets visibly tired when he plays extended minutes, but he's in the right places to defend. He's familiar with pick-and-roll coverages after playing three seasons for Real Madrid, and he shows good awareness as a helper. That's why he leads the Mavericks in deflections per game despite not being particularly active.

Doncic's lack of foot speed does become a problem against smaller guards, but the Mavericks have mostly assigned him to check bigger wings where his size comes into play. At 6-foot-8 and 210 pounds, he posted a longer standing reach than all but two wings in this year's draft class. That allows him to absorb contact on drives while still contesting shots.

Here's one example from Wednesday's close loss to the Lakers. LeBron James tries to cross over and drive the lane, but Doncic cuts him off. James then counters with a spin to the outside, but Doncic holds his ground and gets a great contest against James at the basket.

Doncic won't be a go-to stopper at any point in his career, but he's not the defensive sieve that many pegged him to be. Meanwhile, he's been exactly as promised on offense, as he's averaging 19.6 points while drilling 40 percent of his seven 3-point attempts per game.

Zach Collins breaking out

The Portland Trail Blazers quietly have a future starter on their hands with sophomore center Zach Collins, who's averaging 18.3 points and 3.2 blocks per 36 minutes while shooting 61 percent from the field.

The nimble 7-footer is beginning to understand where he can assert himself on both ends of the floor. His finishing around the rim is markedly improved, and there are even hints of a viable 3-point shot. He's still reliant on others to create his offense, but he's become more efficient with his chances.

Collins is showing even more promise on defense, where he's blocking two shots per game off the bench. Opponents are only shooting 55.4 percent against him around the basket (lowest of any Blazers player), and his timing on help rotations has noticeably improved - as seen in the sequence below where he snuffs out two drives on the same play against the Rockets:

The next step in Collins' development will be to dial back the hyperactivity. He's averaging 3.8 fouls in 21 minutes per game, which makes it impossible to stay on the floor. But that's a good sign for the Blazers, as it's a reflection of Collins' willingness to challenge everything near the rim.

Fox learning tricks

The sudden development of De'Aaron Fox is one of the main factors behind Sacramento's 6-3 start, which has the team above .500 for the first time in two seasons. Fox still can't consistently drain threes, but he's done the next best thing as a slasher.

The sophomore is beginning to understand how to draw contact. His free-throw attempts have nearly tripled from his rookie season (2.7 to 7.2 per game), and that added wrinkle has bumped his true-shooting percentage from abysmal (47.8 last season) to above average (57.9 so far in 2018-19).

As one of the quickest players in the league, Fox just needed to add an offspeed pitch. He's learned the subtle art of slowing down to draw contact on his drives while his defender scrambles to catch up, and that's netting him easy freebies every night:

B-Jelly making a difference

The other catalyst behind Sacramento's hot start is newcomer Nemanja Bjelica, who's averaging 15.6 points, six rebounds, and three assists per game while shooting 59 percent from the field and 55 percent from deep.

Those astronomical shooting percentages will eventually cool off, but Bjelica's quick decision-making should boost the Kings all season. He never holds the ball too long and always understands how to reposition himself to get open:

Sacramento's spacing was a mess in recent seasons as the team consistently trotted out traditional frontcourts with two non-shooting bigs. As a small-ball four, Bjelica's ability to pull his defender away to the perimeter is clearing the paint for Fox and Buddy Hield to work the pick-and-roll with Willie Cauley-Stein.

The grind never stops

Mike Conley and Marc Gasol are on their last legs, but their two-man game remains immaculate after 12 seasons as teammates. They can dominate YMCA leagues for another two decades by running sequences like this:

More importantly, the Grizzlies are quietly competitive again thanks to some shrewd offseason additions intended to address their defense. Garrett Temple has been a revelation, Shelvin Mack has been a decent backup, and Jaren Jackson Jr. has been an immediate contributor as a rookie.

Pascal 'MacGyver' Siakam

Nobody - including the man himself - knows what Pascal Siakam will do when he starts to drive. He's a whirling blur of arms and legs flying at 100 miles per hour, and he somehow engineers enough separation to muster up gangly layups.

Put yourself in Ersan Ilyasova's shoes on the play below. You followed the scouting report and dared Siakam to shoot the three (he's only at 22 percent for his career). But Siakam passes up the shot and drives at you. He fakes baseline, before crossing over into a post up. You cut him off and force him to his left, but Siakam somehow spins back to his right and scores the bucket before you have a chance to react:

There's no way Siakam had that whole sequence planned out before he started to attack. He just trusts that something will open up if he throws enough fakes at the defender, and usually, he's right.