The Los Angeles Lakers are a week into the Luka Doncic era, with hopes of being an NBA title-contending team again.
But according to one former champion, Doncic might not ever be the guy to bring an NBA title to a team.
Channing Frye appeared on his podcast, “Road Trippin’ Show,” and said, “I love Luka. I just don’t think the way he plays basketball is going to win a championship.”
“I think Luka is a lot like James Harden. Both of those guys are amazing, but their usage rate is not equating to championships. Who plays like that?” Frye said.
Doncic is in his first season with the Lakers, not playing second-man to LeBron James, and was recently heavily criticized by Max Kellerman for his poor defensive performance, calling him “lazy.”
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Which is also a criticism Harden has faced through his 18-year career.
Coming into Friday, the Lakers are 4-1 and are tied for second with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Doncic has played in four games this season and has already scored over 40 points in his last two games, including Sunday when he put together a 52-point performance, which has him already viewed as an early MVP candidate.
Doncic shot 44% from the three-point and 56.7% from the field. He was nearly perfect in free throws, going 10 for 11 from the line.
While Frye believes the Lakers superstar will never win a title, Doncic has already played in an NBA Finals when he was with the Dallas Mavericks in 2024.
Dallas ended up dropping the series 4-1 to the Boston Celtics, but Doncic showed up when the lights got brightest.
That series, he averaged 29.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 2.6 steals.
The problem was, the rest of his team didn’t.
This season, the Lakers have built a strong supporting cast around Doncic by re-signing his partner in crime, Austin Reaves to a four-year, $185 million contract, and acquiring center Walker Kessler via a sign-and-trade over the offseason.
Reaves has looked like his usual self this season, averaging 24.4 points with 3.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists.
Kessler has looked worth the four draft picks the Lakers gave up to acquire him, as he is second in the NBA for blocks [2.4], with 8.2 rebounds. 14.8 points per game.
