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Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers on court against the Sacramento Kings in the first half at Crypto.com Arena on March 01, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
A lot has been made about Luka Doncic’s first full season with the Los Angeles Lakers.
As great as the NBA veteran has been on the court, Doncic has received plenty of criticism for his consistent complaining to the referees, along with his lack of production on the defensive side of the ball.
Before Doncic went off with another stellar scoring outing against the Indiana Pacers on March 6, NBA coaching legend Rick Carlisle sent some massive praise Doncic’s way.
Indiana Pacers Coach Rick Carlisle Makes A Massive Luka Statement
GettyLos Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic dribbles the ball. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
“He’s one of the greatest—he’s the greatest player I’ve ever coached—just in terms of his sheer ability,” Carlisle told reporters during his pregame press conference. “He’ll be an MVP.”
Carlisle immediately noted that he had to carefully make that kind of statement. The Pacers’ coach recalled his time with the legendary Dallas Mavericks forward, Dirk Nowitzki. While firing off Nowitzki’s past accomplishments, Carlisle made the legend’s resume clear to further boost his statement about Doncic.
“He’s the most extra special [player] in terms of everything he can do on a basketball floor, and he has amazing charisma, too,” Carlisle told reporters. “Show me a great player that isn’t stubborn and doesn’t get pissed off at things, and I’ll show you guys that’s not a great player. That’s just the way it is.”
Carlisle has coached around the NBA with stops in New Jersey, Portland, Detroit, Dallas, and now Indiana for the second time. His third head coaching gig came with the Dallas Mavericks, which remains his most successful stint. The Mavericks won an NBA Championship in 2011, years before the arrival of Doncic.
The Mavericks picked up Luka with the third-overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. The Carlisle-Doncic pairing would last three seasons.
Although Carlisle didn’t get to coach prime Luka Doncic, the Slovenian superstar entered the league with a bang. He put in three quality years with the legendary head coach at the helm. Following the 2021 NBA Playoffs, Doncic had wrapped up a season where he averaged at least 27 points for the second year in a row. He also dished out 8.6 assists per game.
Following the Carlisle era, Doncic paired up with Jason Kidd in Dallas. That duo would work together for four years before Doncic was traded midway through the 2024-2025 NBA season. He landed with the Lakers. Although Doncic didn’t force his way out of Dallas, Doncic has now embraced LA as his home. The veteran superstar signed a major extension with the Lakers over the summer.
In 51 games this season, Doncic is leading the NBA in scoring with 32.5 points per game. He is dishing out 8.5 assists per game, and coming down with 7.8 rebounds per game.
Against a struggling Pacers team on Friday night, Doncic made his former coach’s statement age well. Doncic checked in for 32 minutes. He shot 14-25 from the field and 7-14 from deep to score 44 points. He also dished out five assists and came down with nine rebounds.
The Lakers defeated the Pacers 128-117.
Justin Grasso Justin Grasso is an NBA reporter, covering trending league news, transactions, injuries, and player developments. He is a credentialed journalist with nearly a decade of insider access. More about Justin Grasso
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