“The worst teammate” – Sam Mitchell reveals why Luka Doncic is the Lakers’ biggest problem
Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic has come under fire after passing on a game-winning shot during their loss to the Orlando Magic last Tuesday night.
But according to former NBA Coach of the Year Sam Mitchell, the Magic’s setback and Luka’s decline on the last-second shot are just part of the bigger issue the Lakers have. Mitchell says Doncic is a great player, but his flaws make him the worst teammate a player can have.
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“Who really wants to play with Luka?” asked Mitchell.”The problem is, if you’re a young player who wants to play basketball- run, cut, move, and play both ends of the floor, how you gonna feel when your best player, your star player, don’t play defense, and nothing is said to him, and everybody else is held to a different accountability?
Everybody else has to play defense. Everybody has to run back in transition. Everybody else have to do all these things. But you watch tape time and time again, Luka does none of it, and no one says anything. Or if they say anything, it’s empty because there’s nothing you can do. How do you think that’s gonna work?”
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Luka’s ball hogging turns his teammates into spectators
Defense has long been a criticism of Luka’s game. Many thought that, after getting in the best shape of his life this past offseason, his defensive issues would be fixed. But it might have only worsened, as his current individual defensive rating of 115 is the lowest in his career. And with their best player struggling on that end of the floor, the Lakers are also just 23rd among 30 teams in defensive rating. But that is just one part of Mitchell’s argument against Doncic.
Luka is just a fraction behind Jaylen Brown for most shots taken per game, and leads the league in 3-point attempts per contest. He is also the league leader in free-throw attempts per outing and has the NBA’s highest usage rate this season. With Doncic dominating the possessions, his teammates are relegated to being spectators on offense until he decides to let them be a part of his act. Mitchell says that style does not work.
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“At some point, NBA players who like to play basketball, who want to participate, they’re going to get tired of standing in the corner, decide to throw me the ball with two seconds on the shot clock, and now I have to take a bad shot,” he added.
Kenyon says it’s hard to find success with Luka’s ball-hogging style
Over at “Gil’s Arena”, the crew also talked about Luka’s playing style and how it is affecting the Lakers. Former NBA Draft No. 1 pick Kenyon Martin thinks it’s maybe time for Doncic to recalibrate and adjust his approach to the game. Sure, he proved he can take a team to the Finals with his current style. But Martin thinks it will not end with a Larry O’Brien trophy.
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“It’s very rare, man, when that ball ain’t moving, and guys aren’t in a rhythm, it’s very rare that you have success. To have the numbers that he’s putting up, year in and year out, and made it to one Finals playing that way, right, does something need to change? Leading the team in scoring and assists, right?”
“It’s cool when you think about it in retrospect. You’re so good, you’re so dominant, and you’re such a good scorer, averaging 30 and 9; let’s average 25 and 13. I think that helps, let’s be more efficient in your approach. I just don’t think the way he plays is going to get it done,” said Martin.
After Tuesday’s loss to the Magic, the Lakers dropped to 34-23 on the season. They are now No.6 in the Western Conference team standings and are knocking at the play-in door with No.7 Phoenix just two games back. To be fair, no one expects the Lakers to win a championship this season, but another first-round exit would make this year another failure for the legendary franchise.
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Related: Reggie Miller explains why Luka Doncic should not complain to the refs too much: “You gotta pick your battles”
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
