The Los Angeles Lakers made the trade for Luka Doncic because they thought he could really help their offense go up a level. Their offense was already really good, but he could take them to a truly elite level.
Doncic is one of the most dangerous offensive players in the NBA when he is firing on all cylinders. There are times when no one can guard him because of what he can do with the ball in his hands.
The issue for the Lakers is that those times have not happened often enough since coming over from Dallas.
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Doncic has not been nearly as efficient of a shooter since moving to Los Angeles. He is shooting just 41.2 percent from the field with the Lakers as opposed to 46.4 percent while he was in Dallas.
That manifested in a big game against the Warriors on Thursday night. He shot just 6-17 in a loss against Golden State.
One NBA pundit has called him out over his poor shooting performances. Jay Williams of ESPN criticized him for his play.
Jay Williams says Luka Doncic’s stock took a major hit last night 😳
(🎥 @realapp_) pic.twitter.com/Yj64A69S9H
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 4, 2025
“Luka stock took a major hit. This is a concerning issue, guys, that we’ve been talking about. If you’re going to be a liability on the defensive end, then you need to be prolific on the offensive end.”
Williams is frustrated with the fact that Doncic hasn’t been able to affect the game in a positive manner on offense as much as he was supposed to.
Doncic is a really bad defensive player. One of the concerns when the Lakers brought him in is how big of a hit the defense would take.
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As Williams mentioned, the Lakers hoped that his offense would make up for his poor defense. In recent games, that has not happened.
This is a big concern for the Lakers as they head into the playoffs. In a very competitive Western Conference, they need him at his best in order to make a deep run in the playoffs.
Since coming to the Lakers, Doncic is averaging 26.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 7.9 assists per game.
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For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.
