Highlights from Luka Don\u010di\u0107’s 52-point game against Utah on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The NBA Mailbag is open with NBA legend and NBC analyst Jamal Crawford here to answer your questions during the 2026-27 NBA season as he announces games on NBC\/Peacock. He will be on the call at Madison Square Garden for Pistons-Knicks tonight (8 ET, NBC\/Peacock<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a question for Jamal? Submit it\u00a0here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n What makes Luka so difficult to defend? \u2013 from Blake in Provo, UT<\/p>\n We always talk about pace, but the thing that\u2019s special about Luka is that his pace can make you go his pace as a defender. You\u2019re at the mercy of whatever he wants to do. It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re more athletic or you\u2019re stronger. He\u2019s going to put you in such a trick bag that you\u2019re going to be uncomfortable, or you\u2019re gonna say, \u201cWell, that was good defense, but he made a tough shot.\u201d But for him, he\u2019s so at peace with his game that he\u2019s just unbothered.<\/p>\n What team impressed you the most in Week 1? \u2013 from C\u00eerligea in Bucharest, Romania\u00a0<\/p>\n The Los Angeles Lakers at 3-0. Obviously, Luka is Luka. But they\u2019re playing with so much joy, and that\u2019s infectious. I would be lying if I said I thought they would start the season 3-0. It\u2019s still early, but it\u2019s been nice to see.\u00a0<\/p>\n Who is your favorite to win the title this season? \u2013 from John in Naples, Italy<\/p>\n Oh, my gosh. Going into the season, I said the Spurs. But if I\u2019m being really honest, I don\u2019t like them starting three guards. I feel like it takes the ball out of Wemby\u2019s hands. So I like one of those guys coming off the bench. I think that\u2019s part of the reason they\u2019re a little disjointed right now. I need to see more of them to really feel good about that pick.\u00a0<\/p>\n So with that being said, my favorites right now \u2026 are still the Spurs. I think they\u2019ll figure it out.\u00a0<\/p>\n What do you think of the new-look Timberwolves\u2019 hot start? \u2013 from Zidane in Sioux Falls, SD<\/p>\n I love how the Wolves look, even after the OT loss to Cleveland. It\u2019s like they\u2019re playing on the playground \u2026 in a good way. They\u2019re just having fun with the pure, true essence of basketball. The joy and spirit they\u2019re playing with is contagious not only to the players and coaches, but to everybody watching their games.<\/p>\n They\u2019re already playing an unselfish brand of basketball to go with the entertainment. They\u2019re playing for each other, and you can just tell they\u2019re truly fans of each other. So it makes it more enjoyable when LaMelo does three different combos into a step-back three, and then Ant and Bones Hyland are celebrating on the bench near half-court. That energy and mutual appreciation make the team even more enjoyable to watch.\u00a0<\/p>\n “Creativity on display in Minneapolis!”<\/p>\n LAMELO’S STEPBACK from his @Timberwolves<\/a> home debut got Ant and Bones off their seats \ud83d\ude2e\u200d\ud83d\udca8<\/p>\n Wolves seek 4-0 tonight on NBA League Pass. pic.twitter.com\/Z3PgzkfDMV<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBA (@NBA) October 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n It feels similar to when I shared a backcourt with Stephon Marbury in New York and then Chris Paul in LA. With Marbury, we were top three scoring backcourts in the league that first year, and we helped bring the best out of each other. With CP3, it was almost like putting two rappers on the same song. We were having fun and trying to impress each other with each verse. I remember I did the between-the-legs alley-oop to Blake, and then two games later CP3 threw the lob to Deandre Jordan for the dunk over Brandon Knight. We were always going back and forth with, \u201cYou see that? Yeah, well, check this out.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n What are your thoughts on Miami\u2019s start to the season, and what do they need to change with the team? \u2013 from Lennon in Nevada<\/p>\n I don\u2019t like what I\u2019m seeing, and I don\u2019t like the body language, to be honest with you. It just seems disjointed. It seems like there are a couple of different teams in one. There\u2019s a team with Bam and Giannis as the centerpieces, and they\u2019re still trying to figure that out. And then there\u2019s another team when one of those two is off the court. They play faster, they push the pace and that looks more like Heat basketball. Obviously, it\u2019s not going to be fixed overnight. But at the end of the day, it has to be addressed because those two star players are such a big part of what they do.<\/p>\n By the end of the season, who do you predict will enjoy their new team the most? \u2013 from Todd in Minneapolis, MN<\/p>\n LaMelo. He and Ant are kindred spirits. You probably couldn\u2019t find two guys whose skill sets fit better together and whose personalities, more importantly, fit better. You could easily see them spending as much time together as any two teammates in the league because they just seem to like similar stuff. The same things make them laugh; they dislike the same things. You can see them being the best of friends away from basketball.<\/p>\n Should I be worried about the Spurs and their offense? \u2013 from Robert in Isabel, KS<\/p>\n I don\u2019t think you should be worried, but you should definitely be aware of what\u2019s going on. It\u2019s too early to really worry at this moment, especially for a team that just went to the Finals. But we definitely should be aware and kind of keep an eye on certain things, for sure. I think one of the guards \u2013 Harper, Castle, or Fox \u2013 needs to sacrifice and come off the bench. It gives them balance. If you look at their bench right now, there\u2019s not a pure go-to scorer. The guy who was starting last year, Champagnie, can play off of the starters, but he\u2019s not necessarily a creator off the bench. So I would like to see one of those creators come off the bench.<\/p>\n Who has the best chance to make the playoffs out of these three: Wizards, Jazz, Mavericks? \u2013 from Yisehak in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n I\u2019m going with the Wizards. I believe Trae Young, Anthony Davis, and the other veterans, with a young star (who hasn\u2019t played yet) in AJ Dybantsa, is a good recipe for success. So I trust that group to make the playoffs more than the other two teams.<\/p>\n Where do you see the Nuggets finishing in the West standings? \u2013 from James in North Dakota<\/p>\n Whenever you have Joki\u0107, you have a chance. Whenever you have Joki\u0107 and Murray, you really have a chance. So I could see them finishing top six. They\u2019re consistent, they\u2019re steady. Health is important, as it is for every team. Getting Aaron Gordon back in the mix will help. But Joki\u0107 is one of the best players in the world, if not the very best. So whenever you have him, you have a chance.<\/p>\n Throughout your 20-year career, which NBA player surprised you the most with how talented they were once you actually shared the court with them? \u2013 from Sam in Great Neck, NY<\/p>\n Joki\u0107.<\/p>\n In 2018, I remember playing them with the Timberwolves in the final game of the season. Both teams had identical records, and the winner would secure the final playoff spot. So it was a unique situation. I was beyond surprised by how great he was. I didn\u2019t realize he thought about the game the way he did, and how he could control the game, even with the skill set he had. He was unreal to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n He\u2019s so great that he removes the player he\u2019s playing against; he\u2019s playing against your coach. So it\u2019s like, oh, you\u2019re going to double? Okay, that means he\u2019s open. Are you going to double on the catch before I dribble? Okay, that means I\u2019ll get rid of it quickly. Now you\u2019re going to double when I put the dribble down? I\u2019m just going to hold the ball for a while to keep you in position, then I\u2019ll dribble to take control of your defense. He\u2019s so smart and has a brilliant, brilliant basketball mind.<\/p>\n Who is the most athletic PG you\u2019ve ever faced? \u2013 from EJ in Hong Kong<\/p>\n Derrick Rose, tied with Russell Westbrook. Before them, Baron Davis and Steve Francis.<\/p>\n D-Rose was like a world-class track athlete playing basketball. His 1.2 turbo burst, his athleticism \u2013 off one foot or two. He was just unreal in every way; he checked every single box of athleticism. He was like a jet. So I think that\u2019s what made him different from everybody else. It\u2019s rare for a player to have his combination of athleticism and speed.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n What player from the 70s, 80s, or 90s would you want to see play in today\u2019s game? \u2013 from Landon in Florida<\/p>\n Let\u2019s do all three. For the 70s, Pistol Pete. For the 80s, Michael Jordan, of course. And for the 90s, I\u2019ll go with Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Nick Van Exel.\u00a0<\/p>\n Who was your favorite lob partner? \u2013 from Easton in Arkansas<\/p>\n Ooh, that\u2019s a tie between Blake and DJ. I\u2019ll have to find out who I threw more assists to.\u00a0<\/p>\n Did you enjoy bouncing around the league, or would you rather have stayed with 1 team your whole career? \u2013 from Khalen in Kansas City, MO<\/p>\n I would have rather stayed with one, maybe two teams. Bouncing around the league is tough, not only from the standpoint of you moving. But now your family needs to move, your kids need to change schools. Or do they stay and you\u2019re in different cities during the season? Then you have to learn the ropes in the new city. And you become on edge, thinking another trade\u2019s going to happen.\u00a0<\/p>\n So, yeah, that wasn\u2019t the most comfortable thing. But I take great pride in knowing I still figured it out.<\/p>\n How is the game different today from when you were playing? \u2013 from Bryan in Oklahoma City, OK<\/p>\n It\u2019s a lot faster. And it\u2019s a lot less physical.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a lot faster just through freedom of movement, style of play, and teams getting up a ton of threes. It\u2019s a lot less physical because when I was coming up, you could actually use a forearm to slow the offensive player down. Obviously, that\u2019s not always the best aesthetically to watch. But looking back, I kind of liked it because if you could really score, you could get through that defense, versus everybody being able to score.\u00a0<\/p>\n Both felt like gradual changes over my 20 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n What separates players who can perform flashy moves from those who truly understand how to manipulate a defender? \u2013 from Williams in Minneapolis, MN<\/p>\n It depends on your purpose. Sometimes you have guys whose purpose is just to do a flashy move, versus ones who are saying, \u201cYou know what? I may have to use my handles more in this pick-and-roll situation \u2013 just snake dribble and get around \u2013 to have my defender stuck on the screen. Now I get to switch on the big.\u201d<\/p>\n So they may use a flashy dribble with a purpose, instead of just using it to spam dribble, as the kids say.<\/p>\n How do you translate the performance you have in practice\/training to a game? \u2013 from Drew in Longview, TX<\/p>\n I try to go game speed. That\u2019s always the thing players say, \u201cOh, the game is moving so fast.\u201d To me, that means you were training slow and weren\u2019t prepared for that intensity. If you\u2019re going half speed in the workouts, then it is moving fast when the game happens, right?\u00a0<\/p>\n So I always try to be very cognizant of that. I would rather train a shorter amount of time at game speed than train a longer time at half speed.\u00a0<\/p>\n What are some things you tell JJ to watch closely for when he\u2019s studying the game? \u2013 from Bobby in Arizona<\/p>\n The why. Everything\u2019s the why. When you\u2019re young, you see the flashy move, but like, how did that player get to that? He may see a one-foot runner and be like, \u201cOh, that guy made a tough shot.\u201d I\u2019m like, \u201cYeah, he made it, but that was kind of a lucky shot because he didn\u2019t get to 2 feet.\u201d<\/p>\n So just the fundamentals of the game and the why. He\u2019s always watching from that perspective now. I don\u2019t have to tell him that like I used to when he was younger. Now he understands why certain things are happening on the floor. I always want him to be the smartest thinker, or one of the smartest thinkers, on the court, no matter who he\u2019s playing with. To me, that\u2019s the great equalizer when you\u2019re playing older people, bigger people, whoever.\u00a0<\/p>\n \ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\udd25\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffe @JJ1Crawford<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/dFsJS8MSLP<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/GLV1xEpz8U<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 \ud83c\udfc1 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) October 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n What do you think of people training their handle using a plastic bag over the ball? \u2013 from Bailey in Scotland<\/p>\n I\u2019ve never done that. I don\u2019t even know what that feels like. But I guess it would be similar to dribbling in the rain. <\/p>\n The purpose is to make things uncomfortable, which then forces you to figure out how to get comfortable, even when you don\u2019t have full control. That\u2019s kind of how I did it when I was dribbling in the rain. I would figure out how to guide it and hold it, even when it was wet. I figured if it was wet and I could do that, it\u2019d be easier when it was dry.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you were a teenager trying to become an elite guard today, how would you structure your daily workouts? \u2013 from Manu in Sofia, Bulgaria<\/p>\n I would focus on watching film, practicing your shot, and getting in great shape. Shooting always translates, whether off the dribble or catch-and-shoot. So that should be a priority.<\/p>\n And being in great shape is underrated. Not everybody is in great shape. And with the speed of the game now, I would make that the No. 1 priority. If you\u2019re not in great shape, then the rest doesn\u2019t matter. You can shoot the best in the world and have all the moves, but if you\u2019re not in great shape, then you\u2019re going to tire out and not be as effective.\u00a0<\/p>\n When I was coming up, I was more focused on skill development. But now everybody\u2019s doing skill development. Everybody has a trainer. Everybody is working with somebody. That\u2019s all still needed; just make sure what you\u2019re doing translates to the current game. Don\u2019t spend your time doing 50 million moves that you\u2019ll never be able to do at the higher levels that you want to play.\u00a0<\/p>\n Have a question for Jamal Crawford? Submit it here<\/a> for the next NBA Mailbag.
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