Luka Doncic's last full season with the Dallas Mavericks featured a team that wanted to play fast. In 2023-24, the Mavericks ranked seventh in the NBA when it came to the offensive pace category. That group ultimately ended up making a trip to the NBA Finals, as most will remember.
Despite all the success the Los Angeles Lakers had in 2025-26, they could not serve Doncic well in that department. It was quite the opposite. The Lakers were one of the slowest teams in the NBA throughout last season, ranking in the bottom-10 among the league (22nd overall).
The 2026-27 season should be different. Reshaping the roster to compliment Doncic was the goal of the offseason. With that vision should come a need for speed, an opportunity to get fast and furious, a desire to get out and run — you get the idea.
Getting younger and more athletic, as the Lakers have this summer, gives them the opportunity to do just that. There should be several reasons at to why Los Angeles would want to give Doncic an opportunity to speed up the game. All of them can lead to an even better Lakers offense.
Lakers picking up the pace with Luka Doncic should bring them success
The Lakers were already a strong offense last season, despite the imperfections. Los Angeles had an offensive rating of 117.0 last season, ranking 10th in the NBA. In 2023-24, playing faster, the Mavericks managed to finish eighth in the league (albeit with the same rating).
Getting Doncic into opportunities in the open floor when defenses are not set gifts him an excellent opportunity to dissect his opponents when they are on the back foot. Luka is one of the best basketball minds in the game. If there is an opening, the Slovenian superstar will find it.
Find an open teammate for an easy score? No problem, Doncic is one of the best passers in the world. Bulldoze to the rim for either two points or free throws? Luka loves to play bully ball. Pull up for a triple? If needed, it can be done.
In general, getting great offensive players a chance to pick apart a defense that is scrambling is never a bad idea. Doncic is no worse than a top-two player on that side of the court right now.
Offense will never be a weak point for the Lakers no matter how JJ Redick chooses to deploy his guys. Doncic provides way too much in every aspect on that end to ever truly let Los Angeles down. Maximizing a strength and turning it into a soul-crushing obstacle for opponents is just too good of a strategy to pass up.
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