Luka Doncic Names Marcus Smart, Herb Jones as Biggest 'Headaches' He's Faced in NBA

There aren't many people who have been able to stop Luka Dončić from putting up big numbers throughout his NBA career, but the five-time All-Star has two players he doesn't love going up against.

Speaking to Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal, Dončić cited Marcus Smart and Herb Jones as the players who have caused the "biggest headaches" in his seven NBA seasons.

Those two players make sense because of how they play. Smart is a point guard by nature, but he has frequently shown the ability to defend bigger players throughout his career.

Smart has also earned consistently high marks for being able to play on the perimeter and interior, even in this later stage of his career when injuries have limited him to just 54 games over the past two seasons.

Jones has been one of the few bright spots for the New Orleans Pelicans since being drafted with the No. 35 overall pick in the 2021 draft. He was named to the All-Defensive first-team and finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting during the 2023-24 season.

The 26-year-old has shown the ability to guard all five positions. He's particularly adept at playing on the perimeter as a 6'8" wing with an 84-inch wingspan.

Fortunately for Dončić, he doesn't have to worry about facing both of those players during the upcoming season. Smart signed a two-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent in July.

Dončić's first game against Jones during the 2025-26 season will come on Nov. 14 when the Lakers visit New Orleans.