Luka Doncic has been great for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2025-26 season, though the team still finds itself leaving much to be desired on the basketball floor.
Doncic leads the NBA scoring, but the Lakers record remains middle of the road as they can’t seem to string together consistent effort for all 48 minutes of a game. For example, Los Angeles had a chance to win against the Orlando Magic but Doncic inexplicably passed up an open 3-pointer for a potential game-winner. Doncic explained he thought the Lakers could get another shot, but instead it cost them a much-needed win.
L.A.’s running out of time to climb back up the standings, but head coach JJ Redick believes Doncic accepts the responsibility of leading the team and expects his group to find its way again.
“He’s a major stakeholder. I think with Luka, AR (Austin Reaves), LeBron (James), all those guys, there’s a, there’s a responsibility that comes with, with being the best players and, you know, Luka has accepted that responsibility and we’re, you know, we’re still a top six team in the West.
“Haven’t played great since the break. Got 20, whatever it is, 24 games to continue to search for that and find that level of consistency and togetherness that we’ve had at different touch points throughout the season. I told you guys this going into the break, we’re playing some really good basketball, trending in a lot of ways in a positive manner for some of the things that are necessary for us to be a winning team. We just, we just haven’t had it. We just haven’t had it since, since we got back from the break. I’m very confident in our group that we’re going to find it.”
Things haven’t been pretty, but the Lakers remain firmly in the playoff mix, largely thanks to Doncic. He is capable of getting hot in a hurry and with how much defensive attention he attracts it’s up to the rest of the roster to knock down shots.
Los Angeles may up against the clock when it comes to rediscovering their early season success, but Doncic playing at his best gives them a shot in every contest down the stretch.
Lon Rosen looking forward to expanding global reach of Luka Doncic
Lon Rosen was recently named the Lakers’ new President of Business Operations, a notable change within the organization. Rosen oversaw the Dodgers’ rise in international markets and is now looking forward to expanding Luka Doncic’s global reach.
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