Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers have been the toast of the NBA recently, going on a nine-game winning streak (snapped on Monday) that has vaulted them to the No. 3 seed in the West by a two-game margin with 10 to play. Doncic has been on a scoring spree that has bolstered his name in MVP discussions. Lakers fans are thrilled and somewhat in disbelief at the surge.
Even so, the Lakers aren't viewed as top-tier contenders, nor should they be. It's obvious that the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder are a level above the Lakers. The same argument can be made for the San Antonio Spurs, although some fans might point to San Antonio's inexperience as a variable that puts the Spurs on even footing with the Lakers.
Ultimately, most would agree that the Lakers have a playoff ceiling that ends in the Western Conference Finals. And when it comes to assigning blame for that ceiling, NBA insider Marc Stein wants us all to remember that the fault lies not with Doncic, but with LA's roster construction.
Marc Stein points the finger at Rob Pelinka for Lakers' limitations
During a new episode of the All NBA Podcast, Stein asserted that Luka should not and cannot be seen as the reason the Lakers will fall short of an NBA Finals.
While Stein admitted that Luka isn't perfect (mentioning that Doncic's interactions with officials aren't great), Stein completely shot down the notion that Doncic is to blame for LA's current weaknesses or certain struggles the team has gone through in 2025-26.
"This season should not be the referendum on his ability to lead a team," Stein said. "This team has so many roster holes that Luka Doncic has nothing to do with."
On listening to Stein here, one immediately thinks of Rob Pelinka, whose job it is to build a champion in Lakerland. Stein's suggestion is that Pelinka has not done that ... yet.
The key word is "yet", because Pelinka deserves some grace here. He's only had two transaction cycles to work with since Luka fell into his lap, and some of his moves (Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard) deserve high marks.
Pelinka's judgment must be reserved until the coming offseason, in which he'll be tasked with dealing with LeBron James' stay-or-go situation, paying Austin Reaves, and filling in the rest of the roster with additive players that make Luka the best version of himself and the Lakers a surefire contender.
It's wrong to put this season's "failings" on Luka's plate, but all of the blame shouldn't fall on Pelinka, either. That can wait until this time next year, but hopefully we won't be having that conversation at all.