Lakers’ Luka Doncic Under Fire as a ‘Foul-Baiter’

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Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers

It’s become something of a dirty word around the NBA in the past year or so, but for Lakers star Luka Doncic, it’s also clearly become part of his identity as a player. He’s a foul-baiter, an offensive player whose production relies in part on his ability to draw referees into making calls that send him to the free-throw line. Last year, when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was called a “free-throw merchant,” it was viewed as an insult, but still, SGA got 24.1% of his points from the free-throw line on his way to an MVP award and an NBA championship.

And Doncic has the same tendency, seeking out contact, exaggerating it and taking advantage of it when he gets the foul call. Doncic is leading the NBA in free-throw attempts, at 10.7 per game, and in makes, at 8.2. Doncic gets 25.3% of his offense from free throws.

While Doncic has been taking a lot of heat lately for the way he complains to referees about fouls, and the fact that he often does not get back on defense as he is complaining, the fact is he gets a good chunk of his offense at the line and will continue his complaining as long as that remains true.

Chandler Parsons: ‘It’s Exhausting’ for Lakers

Former Rockets and Mavericks star Chandler Parsons sees that in the Lakers’ future with Doncic. He has established himself, obviously, as a player the refs need to pay attention to, so Doncic will keep putting himself in front of those refs.

Complaints, especially from analyst Zach Lowe of The Ringer, suggest that Doncic’s style of play is “unwatchable.” But Parsons points out that it is not going to stop because being a “foul baiter” is just part of Doncic’s offensive identity.

Speaking on the “Run It Back” show from FanDuel, Parsons said: “The Luka stuff, it’s not good. And it’s exhausting just from a from a standpoint of watching. It’s got to be exhausting from an effort getting back on defense. ….

“This happens all the time for a guy for a guy like Luka and I don’t think it’s going to stop because again like you said he’s 26 years old. This is almost be who he is and he plays very passionately and he’s got fire and he cares. But he’s got to find a way to control this a little bit because it is a bit exhausting for a player of his talent and his level, especially a guy that’s a foul-baiting type of guy, which is a talent now.”

Luka Doncic’s Foul Complaints ‘Becoming a Thing’

That’s definitely a balance that the Lakers would like Doncic to better understand. Obviously, his offense is critical to the team, but it puts coaches in difficult positions when the top star on the floor is not carrying his weight with defensive effort, is not running back to slow down the other team’s offense.

Parsons pointed out that when he played, over-complaining to refs would be replayed over and over in team film sessions as a way to drive home the point, even to star scorers. Maybe the Lakers need more of that with Doncic, as a way to nudge him into dragging himself back on D.

“The fact that you go hunting contact, a lot of the time, and you go to try to get the foul and then you complain when you don’t, it’s a little eye-roll-y …” Parsons said. “As a fan, you don’t want to constantly watch that. And as a ref it has got to be obnoxious that this guy is just riding me all game. It’s becoming a thing.”

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