Luka Doncic, who played 28 games with the Los Angeles Lakers at the end of last season, remains under scrutiny. His physical transformation gave fans hope that he would shine this year, but a former Lakers coach isn’t convinced.
Doncic averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.5 assists with the Lakers. Recently, in EuroBasket, he led the tournament in scoring, putting up 34.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game. Still, Byron Scott, the former Lakers star and coach, does not find that enough.
Trust must be earned on the court
According to The Sports Rush, Scott believes Luka’s conditioning alone won’t change how people view him. “The only way people will see him differently is once he steps on the basketball court,” he explained.
Throwback to Michael Jordan & Luka Doncic at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game —
Respect. ✊🙌— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) September 16, 2025
Scott compared the hype around Doncic to the 2000 Lakers. “That’s like saying, ‘Well, the Lakers in 2000, with Gary Payton and Karl Malone—oh man, these guys are going to win the championship.’ It looked good on paper.”
He added, “Most of us will just say, ‘Let’s see if he plays defense.’” The ex-NBA player even joked about watching Doncic move on the floor now that he has reportedly lost about 35 pounds.
Meanwhile, Olden Polynice argued that Doncic will never show his greatness if he doesn’t commit defensively. “I’ve seen him play defense. He doesn’t commit all the time. That devalues you,” Polynice said. Scott agreed, pointing out that Luka’s lack of effort on defense can also hurt his teammates’ trust.
Now, all eyes turn to training camp. That’s where we will see if Doncic can silence the doubts and prove critics like Scott wrong.
