Luka Doncic is on a scoring tear. Could this finally be his year to win an NBA championship?
The Slovenian player showed that he can dominate a game while creating opportunities for everyone around him
L uka Doncic is putting together the kind of offensive stretch that can make the Los Angeles Lakers believe they have a legitimate shot at an NBA championship. Just two weeks into a new season, the Slovenian superstar is scoring at a historic pace, elevating his teammates and giving the franchise a compelling reason to believe it can contend in the post-LeBron James era.
Doncic's latest statement came in consecutive victories over the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat. He scored 45 points and grabbed 15 rebounds against Toronto on Sunday before delivering 42 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds in Monday night's comfortable win over Miami.
Those performances were more than another pair of spectacular scoring nights. They demonstrated how Doncic can dominate a game while creating opportunities for everyone around him, a combination that could prove decisive if the Lakers hope to make a deep postseason run. “Obviously, it feels good (to score), but when you win by 20 against a team like Miami, it's really awesome, especially on a back-to-back,” Doncic said.
The Lakers are 6-2 despite introducing nine new players to the roster, and their early results suggest the transition to a team built around Doncic is progressing quickly. The question now is whether his individual brilliance can translate into the ultimate prize: his first NBA championship.
Doncic is scoring at an extraordinary rate
Luka has scored at least 37 points in five consecutive games, surpassing 40 points in four of them. During that stretch, he has made 34 three-pointers while shooting 53.1% from the field. The run began with a 52-point performance against Utah, followed by games of 41 and 37 points. Although the Lakers lost those two contests, Doncic's subsequent performances against Toronto and Miami helped turn his scoring explosion into a winning streak.
For a player entering his ninth NBA season, the production is remarkable. Doncic has already won two of the previous three NBA scoring titles, and his early-season surge has put him at the forefront of the race for another.
His game remains built around the skills that have made him one of basketball's most difficult players to defend: step-back three-pointers, creative passes, an ability to manipulate defensive coverages and an uncanny knack for converting difficult shots.
But the most encouraging development for Los Angeles is that Luka's impact is extending beyond the scoreboard. Lakers guard Quentin Grimes has seen the scoring spree up close and admitted that Dončić's shot-making has become almost impossible to believe.
When a superstar reaches that level, opposing defenses have few attractive options. Give Doncic space, and he can score from virtually anywhere. Send additional defenders, and he can turn the resulting openings into easy opportunities for his teammates. That dilemma is already becoming the defining feature of the Lakers' offense.
The Lakers are learning how to capitalize on his brilliance
Los Angeles coach JJ Redick has described the experience of watching Doncic operate as something extraordinary, even by NBA standards. “We live on a spaceship, and we're going at the speed of light at all times when he's on the court,” Redick said. “When he has it going, it's pick your poison, because he can just make any shot. And then you start putting two on the ball, and everybody else is the beneficiary of that.”
The Lakers' recent performances have illustrated that dynamic. Opponents have increasingly sent two or even three defenders toward Doncic well beyond the three-point line, hoping to force the ball out of his hands before he can create a scoring opportunity. Instead, he has repeatedly found the open man.
Los Angeles made 37 of 80 three-point attempts across its victories over Toronto and Miami while scoring 269 combined points. Against the Heat, the Lakers recorded 39 assists, their highest total in a game since Redick took over as head coach in 2024.
Those numbers suggest an offense becoming more dangerous than a one-man scoring show. Doncic's ability to draw multiple defenders creates space for shooters, opens passing lanes and makes it more difficult for opponents to concentrate their defensive attention on a single threat.
