To win a championship, you need a star player, and there might not be a star more confident than Luka Doncic.
Coming into the playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers are among the few title contenders in the league. Although they have plenty to prove in the postseason, simply having the pairing of Doncic and LeBron James gives them a chance against anyone.
While James has been around for two decades and made his mark as arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, Doncic is still looking to craft his own legacy. While he has already earned five All-NBA First Team selections, he is still searching for his first championship.
After taking the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season, Doncic seems ready to lead the Lakers on a deep run in 2025. While there might be questions about Doncic’s health and comfort level with the Lakers ahead of the playoffs, coach JJ Redick knows confidence is something the superstar never lacks.
“He doesn’t think a single person in the world can guard him,” Redick said.
Although it’s a bold statement, it might not be far off. Doncic has established himself as one of the league’s top five players over the past few seasons and has been arguably the best in the world at times.
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This season, Doncic averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists. Those numbers alone prove how great he is, but that was with him battling through nagging injuries and adjusting after his shocking move to Los Angeles.
Last season, he led the league in scoring at 33.9 points and averaged 28.9 points during Dallas’ run to the Finals. If the Lakers can get similar numbers from him in these playoffs, they could easily make a deep run. Above all, Doncic knows what he is capable of, and he knows that he can make any matchup a mismatch.
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