When Luka Doncic took the reins of the Los Angeles Lakers , many believed it was only a matter of time before the franchise reestablished itself as a true championship contender. On paper, pairing one of the league's most dominant offensive forces with a historic organization seemed like a guaranteed formula for success.
However, in reality, the Purple & Gold have become one of the most inconsistent teams in the league. Not only do they lose to injury-riddled, short-handed teams by humiliating double-digit margins, but they are the only team (in both conferences combined) in the top eight seeds to boast a negative points differential.
While some fans might be surprised to see this kind of leadership from Luka, Raymond Felton isn't. In fact, Felton doubled down on his belief that the six-time All-Star should never be associated with "winning basketball."
Despite Luka leading the league in scoring with 32.8 points per game along with 8.5 assists, his defensive woes have made life more complicated for the Lakers. Opponents prioritize targeting him in mismatches, and his knack for constantly complaining to the refs about every potential foul call missed has clearly inspired the rest of the players to do the same.
This is precisely what rubs Felton the wrong way. As a result, he recently emphasized that when the Dallas Mavericks reached the Western Conference Finals, it was Spencer Dinwiddie who filled the void left by Doncic, while when the Mavs reached the NBA Finals in 2024, it was defenders like Dorian Finney-Smith and Derick Jones Jr. who made up for Luka's defensive woes.
Put simply, Raymond's message was straightforward: Luka's scoring prowess has always been impressive, but never enough to carry a team to success on its own, and this is exactly where fans and media members harbor expectations for Doncic that are unwarranted. Thus, Felton urged the Slovenian star to take greater responsibility for inspiring his teammates through his efforts and demeanor on the court.
"When are you going to give some effort on that end? We know you're not a great defender, but at least give us something. If you start doing it, Luka, then guess what? Deandre Ayton will feel like, 'I got to play harder, too.' I said that before, but everybody looked at me crazy — the way Luka plays, don't amount to wins. When we go back to the times he was in Dallas, let's be honest, bro, Spencer Dinwiddie and Jalen Brunson (they carried the team). Luka was hurt. Spencer Dinwiddie and Jalen Brunson killed ," Felton said.
" You had defenders that could hide Luka. Did Luka hit shots? Of course, everybody in the world knows that. But you gotta look at the game. Kyrie hit big shots, hands down," he added.
Felton's point makes even more sense when looking at players like Jaylen Brown with the Boston Celtics or Victor Wembanyama with the San Antonio Spurs , who often impact games in ways beyond scoring 30 points or recording nightly triple-doubles. Their teams do not necessarily need monster offensive nights from them to win because their influence extends to defense, energy, and team-wide accountability, which sets the tone for everybody.
So, if the Lakers are truly to contend for the Larry O'Brien trophy, Luka needs to understand how a catalyst inspires his teammates beyond just scoring.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
