Charles Barkley blasts Luka Doncic after Lakers elimination: 'Gotta learn to play defense and get in shape'

Dan Treacy

Charles Barkley blasts Luka Doncic after Lakers elimination: 'Gotta learn to play defense and get in shape' image

Mavericks GM Nico Harrison hasn't had many good days in NBA circles since trading Luka Doncic in February, but Wednesday might have been one of them.

Not only were Doncic and the Lakers swiftly eliminated by the Timberwolves in five games, ending L.A.'s playoff run with a thud, many of the concerns the Mavericks reportedly had with Doncic were evident during the series.

Between defensive lapses and a back issue that popped up during the Lakers' Game 5 loss, Doncic's productivity on the offensive end was overshadowed as L.A.'s season came to an end. 

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After the game, TNT's Charles Barkley echoed some of the same sentiments the Mavericks reportedly did when they decided to go forward with trading Doncic.

Here's what Barkley had to say about the All-Star. 

What did Charles Barkley say about Luka Doncic?

Barkley deflected blame away from the Lakers' lack of size, instead pointing to Doncic as someone who has to play better for L.A. to compete for championships. 

"He gotta learn to play defense and get in shape," Barkley said, arguing, "You just can't go out and get big guys when [Doncic] can't play no damn defense." 

Barkley said Doncic "can't guard anybody" and defended Harrison for making the Mavericks a better defensive team in spite of Doncic last season. 

"A lot of the criticism for Nico [Harrison] I thought was a little unfair," Barkley said, crediting Harrison with turning a "mediocre" Mavericks team into a Finals team in 2024 by trading for P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford.

Reports following the Lakers' stunning trade for Doncic in February indicated the Mavericks were concerned about Doncic's conditioning, and Harrison himself said defense was one of the primary reasons for making the deal. 

While the Lakers surged with Doncic in the regular season, both issues surfaced in Wednesday's Game 5. Doncic tweaked his back late in the first half on a foul by Donte DiVincenzo and played at less than 100 percent the rest of the game, impacting his defense. 

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Doncic's defense was already a concern before the back injury; he grabbed only one rebound in the Lakers' narrow Game 4 loss, and the Timberwolves continued to dominate the boards in Game 5. 

One playoff series isn't a total vindication of Harrison by any means -- not when the Mavericks didn't make the playoffs at all -- but Barkley's comments indicate Dallas' GM isn't the only one who believes Doncic has work to do to be a championship-level player. 

Dan Treacy

Dan Treacy is a content producer for Sporting News, joining in 2022 after graduating from Boston University. He founded @allsportsnews on Instagram in 2012 and has written for Lineups and Yardbarker.