Every year, The Athletic releases an anonymous NBA player poll in which numerous players place votes on their fellow players and coaches in numerous categories. The 2026 version was recently released with multiple members of the Los Angeles Lakers being listed.
The Lakers’ backcourt duo of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves each made appearances, as did head coach JJ Redick after his second season at the helm of this team. While some of these were positive votes, others weren’t painted in the best light, though no one came in at the top of any list be it positive or negative.
What NBA players think of Luka Doncic
Doncic found himself on the NBA’s most overrated player list, garnering 3.7% of the 81 votes cast. That put him in a four-way tie for seventh place alongside Deni Avdija of the Portland Trail Blazers, Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors and Pascal Siakam of the Indiana Pacers.
Doncic’s inclusion on this list is a bit surprising considering the season he had before going down with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain. The Lakers superstar led the NBA in scoring at 33.5 points per game and ranked third in the league with 8.3 assists. He will likely finish top five in MVP voting and is expected to be named to his sixth All-NBA First Team after leading the Lakers to an impressive top-four finish in the Western Conference.
Rockets big man Alperen Sengun topped this list with 12.3% of the vote, followed by Minnesota Timberwolve center Rudy Gobert and Washington Wizards point guard Trae Young, who each received 8.6%.
What NBA players think of Austin Reaves
For the second straight year, Reaves was high on the NBA’s most underrated player list. This particular list saw by far the most parity with Atlanta Hawks wing Jalen Johnson and Boston Celtics guard Derrick White leading the way with 4% of the vote.
Reaves, Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday and Celtics guards Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard were all right behind them with 3.3%.
This was a true breakout season for Reaves that unfortunately came undone due to injuries. The Lakers guard averaged a career-high 23.3 points per game this season while growing into one of the team’s primary creators and is set for a big payday this offseason.
What NBA players think of JJ Redick
Redick seems to be a bit polarizing in terms of NBA coaches as he appeared on both the most and least impressive coaches list. Redick garnered 4.8% of the 151 votes in the most impressive coach poll, ranking him eighth overall. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was the leader there with 17.8% of the vote, followed by Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daigenault (15.8%) and Detroit Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff (11%).
Redick ranked lower on the least impressive coaches list, coming in at a tie for 10th alongside Jordi Fernandez of the Brooklyn Nets, Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets, Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks and Jamahl Mosley who was recently fired as coach of the Orlando Magic.
Most would consider the job Redick did this season amidst the litany of injuries the Lakers have suffered an outstanding one, but apparently there are some who haven’t been as impressed.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.
