Luka Dončić said he is ready for an expanded role as the Lakers’ unquestioned leader in comments published by USA Today. He called the 2026-27 season “a new challenge” but said the position is not new to him.
He enters his third season in Los Angeles and his first without LeBron James, who left for the Philadelphia 76ers this summer.
Dončić also said he is eager to play again after a long layoff. He suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain in April.
The Lakers went on to beat the Rockets in six games without him, then got swept by the Thunder in the second round, with Dončić missing the entire postseason.
In 2025-26, Dončić led the Lakers to 53 wins, captured his second scoring title and earned First Team All-NBA honors, averaging 33.5 points per game. He finished fourth in MVP voting behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić and Victor Wembanyama.
His best finish was third in 2023-24, the season he took Dallas to the Finals, where Boston won 4-1. USA Today ranked him No. 4 in its top 100 players for 2026-27, behind the same three players.
The Lakers built the roster around him this summer. Austin Reaves re-signed on a four-year, $185 million deal, and the team got Walker Kessler from Utah for unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 and first-round swaps in 2028 and 2030.
Dončić’s Case Depends on Playing in the Spring
Dončić’s regular-season production is not what stands between him and the face-of-the-league label. In 2025-26 he led the NBA in scoring and made First Team All-NBA, but he still finished fourth in MVP voting and did not play a playoff game.
The two milestones his résumé lacks, a championship and an MVP, both depend on him being available into May and June, and his 2025-26 season did not get there.
The Lakers spent two unprotected firsts and a max contract to build around him, so the franchise’s bet and Dončić’s own case rest on the same thing: him staying on the floor.
Dončić Returns Against Golden State on Oct. 21
The Lakers host the Warriors at Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 21 in both teams’ season opener, with a 7 p.m. PT tip. It will be Dončić’s first game that counts since the April hamstring injury.
Source: USA Today
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