Getty
Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers
It is remarkable, really, the way the winds can shift on Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic from one day to the next. It was not long ago that everyone in and around the NBA, and every observer and NBA talking head along with them, was calling out Doncic for his proclivity to whine to referees and how much it hurt his team.
Worse, Doncic is up to 15 technical fouls, which is second in the NBA. And it is one tech way from the season cap of 16, which will trigger an automatic one-game suspension. Again, cue the outrage–Doncic’s hot-headedness is set to cost his team in the standings, where the Lakers are fighting for playoff position in the West.
But then the Lakers go on a run of four wins in six games, and Doncic averages 32.2 points, with 8.2 rebounds and 7.3 assists in that stretch, and caps it off with 44 points, nine rebounds and five assists on Friday against the Pacers, and just like that, everyone wants to be Doncic’s friend again.
Luka Doncic Plays With Competitive Fire
Credit Lakers coach JJ Redick, though, for consistently and publicly being behind Doncic, even as spurious rumors about a disconnect between the two bubble in the background. Redick was a teammate of Doncic and has a pretty good sense of what makes him tick on the floor.
And Redick, speaking about the hot water Doncic gets into with the referees, said he would much rather have a player with Doncic’s passion than one without.
Speaking before the win over the Pacers, Redick said, “Look, I think he’s a special kind of player, a special kind of person and a special kind of competitor. So, I would much rather have someone who is trying to go out every night and kill than someone you have to literally revive with a defibrillator every other day. I will take Luka, all day long.”
Lakers’ JJ Redick: ‘He Can Make Every Shot’
That was on display on Friday when the Lakers needed a bit more from Doncic as the team was coping with multiple injuries, including to starters LeBron James and Deandre Ayton. Granted, the Pacers are a team that is the tanking bucket in the NBA and Indiana perhaps was not that interested in winning on Friday.
But Doncic went 14-for-25 shooting, and made seven of his 14 3-point attempts. He even played pretty well on defense. It was the kind of night that reminds folks just how good a player Doncic is, and that if he complains to the refs too much, it’s a relatively small wart.
Said Redick: “He can make every shot. He can make a step-back, left-wing bank shot that barely goes above the rim, he can make floaters, he can make floaters going left, right. You know, he’s a shot-maker. But he is also a playmaker. He also has the ability, whether he’s in single coverage or double coverage to make reads and create open shots. Closeouts, lobs for his teammates—he has done this for seven years now and he has seen every coverage so he has his progression.”
And Doncic won’t be dialing back his passion. “That just for me shows that I really care for the game. I want to win every game,” he said.
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
More Heavy on Lakers
Loading more stories