With Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James seemingly on the last legs of his NBA career, one could argue that star guard Luka Doncic should be the definitive leader of the team now. What Doncic’s Slovenian teammate and friend Edo Muric said about the 26-year-old regarding his leadership capabilities should have Lakers fans confident he can be just that.
Muric said that Doncic has emerged as a stronger leader, per The Athletic.
“Every year, he’s more vocal and even more patient with the players because he’s coming from a different level than we are,” Muric said. “And sometimes (the mistakes), it’s not acceptable for him. Maybe he used to expect too much from us because he comes from another world that we come from, you know?
“But now as he’s maturing as he’s older, he gets that. And he’s giving us more and more trust.”
For as encouraging as Muric’s comments are, what matters is that Doncic proves he’s actually taken strides as a leader by helping the Lakers to a successful 2025-26 campaign. He can show that he has what it takes to be a great leader for the team in the short and long term if he spearheads a deep run for Los Angeles in the 2026 NBA Playoffs.
Doncic didn’t help the Lakers to a deep run in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, as Los Angeles was eliminated after winning just one playoff contest. Not only that, but the team was on the wrong side of a first-round upset, as it lost to the No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves and star guard Anthony Edwards.
But before Doncic will have an opportunity to redeem his team’s early exit, it’s important that he builds good habits as a leader during the 2025-26 regular season and aids the Lakers in stacking up wins in that span.
Ultimately, the Lakers can’t worry about making a deep run until they secure a place in the playoffs in a tough Western Conference this season. However, the expectation at this time should be that Los Angeles will, in fact, find its way into the field.
Fans of the Lakers won’t have to wait that long to find out the validity of Muric’s assertion that Doncic is a new and improved leader, as the team’s season opener is on Oct. 21.
