There's a large amount of criticism currently being directed at Luka Doncic, and Los Angeles Lakers fans are split on the topic. But while Luka's defense is unquestionably an issue for this team, his intangibles are arguably every bit as big a problem.
Plenty of Lakers fans are totally in support of Luka and want to defend their franchise player against criticism. But there's some sects of the fanbase that are upset and frustrated with the Doncic experience.
It's understandable for a few reasons. The first of which being that Luka's defense is undoubtedly an annoyance at times. Giving little to no effort as the best player on your team is unacceptable, and Doncic's lackadaisical approach has contributed toward losses.
But also, having this kind of player on LA's roster is very alien for Lakers fans. They're used to having superstar franchise centerpieces like Kobe Bryant, who made a living off making life miserable for opposing guards on a nightly basis. Then there was Anthony Davis, one of the best defenders of a generation to never win a DPOY.
Luka Doncic must improve his intangibles
Seeing their franchise player give such low effort defensively is a completely new concept for Lakers fans. Then add on top of that the issues when it comes to intangibles, like Doncic wasting time complaining to the officials instead of hustling back on defense, and he's become quite a conundrum in Los Angeles.
Still, the masterful offensive talent of Luka remains. And at the same time, it doesn't feel like the Lakers can win a championship with him playing the way he is right now. His deficiencies make it so the roster has to be perfectly constructed to mask his issues, and that's simply a tall task at this point in time.
When Doncic is simply spamming step-back threes on offense, his game becomes problematic as well. Many Lakers fans are starting to see just why Dallas decided to move him in the first place. It's far from over in Los Angeles, but a lot of work is going to need to be done.
The challenge is that these issues with Luka make it so this version of the Lakers doesn't resemble past championship teams much at all. Leadership on this roster looks different, and accountability hasn't always been immediate or visible on the floor. It's this kind of disconnect that's fueling frustration from the fanbase.
Again, none of this means this partnership is doomed forever. But it does mean something has to change. For LA to reach its ceiling, Luka has to meet the franchise halfway by committing to the unglamorous parts of winning. Until that happens, the Lakers will continue to look dangerous yet incomplete.