CBS Sports moved the 10–2 Lakers to No. 2 in its November 11 NBA power rankings, pointing to Luka Dončić’s defense alongside his scoring and playmaking.
How Dončić is ending possessions
The ranking cited 20 steals, nine defensive loose-ball recoveries and four charges drawn. Those numbers describe different jobs: a steal takes the ball away, a recovery secures a ball already up for grabs, and a charge forces a turnover without a steal.
CBS also cited tracking data that put Dončić at 0.79 points allowed per isolation possession. The underlying sample included just 22 shots, so it is an early sign worth following. A few makes or misses can move the percentage substantially over a sample that small.
The team defense is a separate question
NBA.com’s Week 4 rankings noted that the Lakers were defending shots in the paint well while still sitting in the bottom ten in overall defensive efficiency at that snapshot. That helps explain what to watch next: whether Dončić keeps creating turnovers and whether Los Angeles can finish more defensive possessions with rebounds.
Sources: CBS Sports November 11 power rankings and NBA.com Week 4 rankings.
Archive photo of Dončić during his Dallas career. Photo: Erik Drost / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Cropped and resized.
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