Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic is well on his way to winning a second career scoring title. He's also likely to receive a sixth career All-NBA First Team nod. Despite those trajectories being commonly accepted by NBA fans and analysts, however, critics seem bent on writing the Lakers off as a postseason factor.
Though there are unavoidable flaws that the Lakers must address to contend, Doncic didn't need to say a word to shut those critics down with a massive performance on Mar. 6.
Doncic dominated the Indiana Pacers, recording 44 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks in just 32 minutes. He shot 14-of-25 from the field, 7-of-14 from beyond the arc, and 9-of-10 at the free throw line.
It was a masterclass from one of the best players on the planet, with the Lakers riding his individual success to a commanding 128-117 victory.
One win over a team that's among the worst in the NBA may not seem like much, but with the postseason roughly a month away, Doncic made a statement. It wasn't just that he went off for a performance that most players could only dream of mustering.
What Doncic accomplished was providing critics with a reminder of a simple answer to the question of whether or not he can lead a flawed team to a deep postseason run: He's already done it. Twice.
Luka Doncic proves he's ready for another deep playoff run in Lakers win
Outrage was inevitable when the Dallas Mavericks traded Doncic to the Lakers during the 2024-25 season, as he was their 25-year-old franchise player. He'd already made five All-NBA First Team appearances and was fresh off of winning the 2023-24 scoring title.
Considering he hadn't even entered his athletic prime, the mere thought of trading Doncic was blasphemous until everyone realized Shams Charania's report wasn't the result of his account being hacked.
What made the trade so egregious, however, wasn't his accolades or his talent. It was the fact that Doncic had already figured out how to translate his regular season dominance to the postseason, and was mere months removed from a legacy-defining run.
Doncic not only led Dallas to the NBA Finals as the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference, but became the first player in history to lead all players in points, rebounds, assists, and steals across a full postseason.
Luka Doncic has led teams to deep playoff runs without ideal seeding
What made the trade even more baffling was the fact that it wasn't even the first time Doncic had led Dallas to a deep run in the playoffs. He led the Mavericks to the 2022 Western Conference Finals as the No. 4 seed, defeating a 64-win Phoenix Suns team in the second round to get there.
In other words: Doncic has not only made an NBA Finals and a pair of Conference Finals as a team's go-to player, but has defeated two No. 1 seeds to do so.
During his final postseason run with Dallas, Doncic helped his team take down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder. He then defeated Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Conference Finals. Much has changed in terms of what's around him, but the Mavericks were never revered as a world-beating team during their runs.
With Doncic once again proving that he can catch fire and stay hot in a way to which few can compare, writing the Lakers off as a championship hopeful would be an ill-advised maneuver.