Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers have gotten off to a 1-1 start to the 2025-26 NBA season. Through the first two games, Doncic has been playing at an incredibly high level.
In the first game of the season, Doncic scored 43 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and dished out nine assists in a disappointing loss against the Golden State Warriors. Last game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, he dropped 49 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.
While it has been fun to watch Doncic play at an insane level, there are concerns that come with the performances he has put together.
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There is no doubt that he is capable of playing at an incredibly high level. But, is it reasonable to think that he can continue his current level of play? Without him playing so well, the Lakers likely would be 0-2.
Keeping that in mind, an opposing coach has issued a warning to Los Angeles about that exact topic.
“Luka is going to have to do what he did every night just to give them a chance,” an assistant coach shared with ESPN.
LeBron James has missed the first two games of the season and will continue being out for awhile due to sciatica in his back. With Doncic leading the way, the team around him simply hasn’t played at a very high level.
Austin Reaves has played well and Deandre Ayton has shown some signs, but the Lakers will have trouble winning games relying so heavily on Doncic night in and night out.
Unfortunately for Los Angeles, there aren’t a lot of ways for the team to improve naturally. James returning to the court will be a huge boost. That in and of itself will take a lot of the pressure off of Doncic’s shoulders.
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However, there is no guarantee when James will return to the court. He also doesn’t seem to be terribly happy with the Lakers right now and is in the final year of his contract. Rumors swirled around his name all offseason about parting ways with the franchise after the season.
It will be interesting to see how much longer Doncic can continue playing at this level. Perhaps he will be able to keep Los Angeles in the hunt until James is able to make his return to the court.
