James Worthy thinks Luka Doncic is taking on too much, while the Slovenian star sees it very differently.
The Los Angeles Lakers saw their seven-game winning streak snapped by the Phoenix Suns in a frustrating loss at home.
Turnovers were the story of the night, with the Suns forcing 21 of them and keeping LA under pressure throughout.
Luka Doncic put up 38 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists, but even that was not enough to get the Lakers over the line.
Following the game, James Worthy remarked on Doncic’s performance, highlighting his 26 shot attempts as a clear sign of an issue for the Lakers.
Luka Doncic and James Worthy split over Lakers’ ball movement
Speaking after the LA Lakers’ loss to the Phoenix Suns, Worthy used his post-game spot on Spectrum SportsNet to break down what he saw as the main issue.
While he was clear about his respect for Doncic’s ability, he did not shy away from saying the Slovenian star needs to share the ball more often.
“I love Luka. I think the ball should be in his hands, but I think a lot of times it’s gotta move. It’s gotta move early… I think sometimes he’s trying to get the foul… The ball didn’t move tonight.”
But it does not seem like everyone within the Lakers’ camp agrees with Worthy. In fact, Doncic himself pointed to the exact opposite approach as a key factor in their defeat.
Luka Doncic says he should have prioritised scoring over playmaking against Suns
Doncic spoke to the media after the game about the Phoenix Suns’ defensive approach, explaining how it led him to focus more on creating opportunities for his teammates. He felt that this shift in focus ultimately hurt their chances.
“I feel like it was definitely a different defence than other teams. Let me go score instead of creating for others. It was kinda confusing. Just can’t have that.”
Currently one of the league’s top scorers, Doncic is averaging 35.3 points, 8.9 assists, and 8.9 rebounds per game.
LeBron James and Austin Reaves both bring playmaking ability to the table, not just as scorers but as creators for others.
Moving forward, it might be in the Lakers’ best interest for Doncic to lean into his scoring ability while trusting teammates like LeBron and Reaves to handle more of the creation duties.
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