From the moment the Los Angeles Lakers landed Luka Doncic in one of the most shocking trades the NBA has ever seen, the franchise belonged to him. After this offseason, that has never been more true. Rob Pelinka fully remodeled around him and that has made his spotlight brighter than ever.
Thankfully for the Lakers, Doncic has been under a microscope since he was a teenager. Hooping professionally for Real Madrid before even arriving in the NBA helped acclimate him to the expectations of being the guy, and Luka has been a superstar nearly from the get-go.
2026-27 calls for the very best version of him at a pivotal moment for the franchise.
Luka Doncic's role and expectations with the Lakers in 2026-27
There is nothing all too difficult about outlining what the Lakers are asking for from Luka in the upcoming campaign. They want and need him to be one of the game's best.
Doncic has been a top-five player in the world for as long as many will care to remember. The Lakers will need that level of excellence and then some to fully actualize their potential as a team. One could even say they are looking for a little bit of that Luka Magic.
The keys to the castle have been fully handed over to him in Los Angeles. That was something that pretty much everyone expected from day one of his trade announcement.
Horace Grant told Kyle Odegard of Action Network: "I think LeBron [James] knew that when Luka was traded there, that the writing was on the wall. They were going to start building around him."
There is clearly some truth to that. Without James' massive name and legacy there to take attention away from Doncic, for better of for worse, all eyes are on Luka.
Stats and award predictions for Luka Doncic in 2026-27
Right off the bat, let's be transparent about something: trying to pinpoint exact stats is like throwing darts at a board with a miniscule bullseye. Instead, let us go for a ballpark range on what to expect.
Doncic will be one of the top scorers in basketball. There should be no denying him that much. Last year's scoring champion made putting the ball in the basket look way too easy, and there should be no reason to believe he will be out of the top-five in that category leaguewide in 2026-27. Another 30-plus points per game season is a fair expectation.
A career year passing the ball could be on its way, too. Having a legit lob threat in Walker Kessler and multiple shooters on the perimeter should create a path for Doncic to flirt with averaging double-digit assists for the first time in his career.
Luka has also been one of the most potent rebounders at his position throughout his time in the NBA. There should be no reason to think that will change this season.
An underrated part of Doncic's game is his ability to generate turnovers. Doncic was top-10 in the league last season when it came to steals per game (1.6). That should stay consistent.
If we want to put arbitrary numbers on what 2026-27 could look like, here they are: 31.0 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game, 10.0 assists per game, 1.5 steals per game, and 0.5 blocks per game.
That should set the expectations relatively well. It should also position Doncic to be right in the mix for All-NBA First Team (again), and the first NBA MVP of his career. The latter has been long awaited. As long as the Lakers cooperate from a record standpoint, Luka should enjoy no worse than a top-two finish in the MVP race.
The bottom line with Luka Doncic
Doncic has been an elite performer year in and year out. There is no reason to expect anything but that in 2026-27.
The genuine question here might be whether Luka has one more level above what he has shown thus far. That, of course, would involve a guy who definitively takes the crown of best player in the world.
The Lakers franchise and fanbase will certainly hope so. Outlets like ESPN are already enjoying the idea of projecting Los Angeles as middle of the pack team in the West, with few picking them to win the conference at all.
If the team is going to challenge those modest expectations, it all hinges on Doncic.
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