It's a little strange to ask whether Luka Doncic can lead an NBA Finals-caliber team, considering he did exactly that two years ago. No, those Mavericks didn't finish the job, falling to the Celtics in five games, but if you can go to the Finals, you can win it. That seems like common sense to me.
Yet, with the 2025-26 Lakers scuffling around at "good" and seldom looking "great," the discussion of how good a Luka-led team can be has, for some reason, popped back up. On a recent episode of First Take, ESPN NBA reporter Brian Windhorst shared a similar sentiment:
"You can't just say that just because a guy can't defend, he can't lead a championship, because we all know Luka can't defend. I think that he can, guys, because I've seen the Mavericks come pretty close. But I will see this, you're gonna have to have the right team around him."
Agreed, Windy. I also agree that Luka needs the "right" team around him, because every player needs the "right" team around them to make the NBA Finals, with the exception of prime LeBron James, but he's the exception to literally everything.
Luka Doncic is suddenly becoming the fall guy for the Los Angeles Lakers
It can be frustrating to cheer for Luka. His constant complaining to the referees and his lack of buy-in defensively are both irritating on a nightly basis and it is totally fair for Lakers fans to want more from him in those regards.
He still remains perhaps the most dangerous all-around offensive player in the league, and that skillset has already led a team to the NBA Finals. That happened when Luka was 25 years old, by the way. You know who hadn't been to the NBA Finals at 25? Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Steph Curry, and most other stars around the league. And I'm pretty sure all those guys have proven they can lead a team to the mountaintop. So let's take some deep breaths.
The Los Angeles Lakers, without a near-miracle, will not be in the NBA Finals this year, in their first full season with Luka Doncic. That's okay, really, especially because the Lakers' moves show that they themselves aren't interested in being in the Finals this year. They've kicked the can down the road, for better or worse. So to fault Luka for (probably) not leading a team to the Finals, despite that team not really going all in to make the Finals... Is strange.