The Los Angeles Lakers suffered another difficult night on Thursday, falling 135-117 to the Charlotte Hornets. Even a combined 68 points from Luka Doncic and LeBron James could not mask the defensive lapses that defined the loss. What lingered most was the lack of composure, with Doncic repeatedly engaged with officials as the game slipped further out of reach.

After the game, it was clear that the fans and analysts were not the only ones who got irritated by Luka’s constant bickering with the referees, asking for more calls. They didn’t pay much attention to transitional defense, and that affected them badly against the Hornets.

“Instead of getting back, we’re talking to the officials a lot. That definitely doesn’t help. … We gotta be able to play on and move on to the next play,” Marcus Smart told reporters after the game. The 31-year-old guard wants his team to improve following the humiliating loss.

While it was a general statement about the Lakers’ issue with referees and playing mediocre defense, it felt like an indirect shot at Luka, who has been accused of complaining a lot throughout the season.

Doncic’s scoring rhythm came with a costly lapse in focus. Early in the third quarter, with the Los Angeles Lakers trailing 70-60, he fell after a missed jumper and stayed down to argue a no-call instead of getting back. The Charlotte Hornets made him pay, as Miles Bridges buried a wide-open three, and the continued protest soon earned Doncic a technical.

Luka’s actions were extremely embarrassing as they forced Hornets announcer Eric Collins to call him out live on air. “This guy is a whiner,” he said right after the entire incident as the Hornets got the momentum following the four-point swing.

This is not the first time Luka has been called out on air by an announcer for his poor transitional defense.

Luka Doncic was called out for his poor defensive showing on air

Earlier during the NBA Cup quarterfinal against the San Antonio Spurs, former coach Stan Van Gundy completely roasted the star point guard as he was seen constantly arguing with the referee for non-calls without paying much attention to getting back to defense.

“That’s the second time he hasn’t gotten back on defense,” Van Gundy said on NBA on Prime. He was frustrated with the Slovenian’s attitude on the court.

The Lakers are ranked 26th in defense this season, and Doncic showing more hunger in getting back to defend after a non-call would not change that narrative by a huge margin. But at the same time, it is extremely concerning that one of the star players and the future face of the franchise for the Lakers constantly tends to argue with referees over non-calls, hence allowing his opposition matchups easy wide shots.

Lakers HC JJ Redick has time and again spoken about improving perimeter and transitional defense. He has demanded more from his star players, especially Luka. He has switched to aggressive switching, trapping, and rotation to protect weaker defenders, which creates transitional offense. Despite asking for accountability from star players, it feels like his words have fallen on deaf ears.

It is only natural that someone of Marcus Smart‘s calibre, a former Defensive Player of the Year who understands how elite defenses work, is frustrated with him. The Purple and Gold need defensive reinforcements before the trade deadline, but they need to play as a team now more than ever.