Luka DoncicThe hot start to the 2026/27 season continued on Friday Lakers superstar scores season-high 53 points in comeback win over Portland, trans ESPN.com’s Ben Golliver.
“Luka can do some things that perhaps few, if any, can do in basketball“, head coach Jay Jay Reddick said.
Doncic is averaging a career-high 40.1 points in nine games. Only player with more points than Doncic in the first nine games of the season Wilt Chamberlainwho achieved success in both 1961/62 and 1962/63, according to an ESPN study.
Golliver notes that Doncic has scored at least 40 points in six of nine games this season, marking the second time he has topped the 50-point mark. He now ranks 10th all-time with 11 career 50-point games, Golliver adds.
Before Friday’s game, the Trail Blazers head coach Mika Nori explained why he believes Doncic has been the NBA’s most valuable player through the first two-plus weeks of the season, per Lou Murray of The Athletic (Link to video on Twitter).
“It seems to me that he is in elite form” said Nori.He’s playing with a lot of confidence, he’s got shooters around him, and he’s making big plays (Walker Kessler). So it’s a perfect offensive storm for him. And now he’s the MVP.”
Here’s more on the Lakers:
- In the column for Los Angeles Times, claims Miriam Swanson Doncic has the ability to lead the Lakers to a championship — provided he enters the playoffs healthy. While an MVP award would certainly be a noteworthy individual achievement for Doncic, Swanson suggests the Lakers may be better off in the long run if they tone down his sky-high usage rate and focus on his health. As Swanson notes, the Lakers looked like a dangerous team last spring when they went 15-2 in March, but saw Doncic’s season end early with a Grade 2 hamstring strain he suffered on April 2. Adding a quality backup center and figuring out how to win games without Doncic would be steps in the right direction, Swanson notes.
- Speaking of backup centers, NBA insider Jake Fisher continues to hear that the Lakers are fans Jericho Simswhich came out of Bucks‘ rotation until opening 2026/27. Appearing on SiriusXM NBA Radio (Link to video on Twitter), Fisher explained why Los Angeles has a big athletic body. “Clearly, the Lakers liked Jericho Sims” Fisher said.And that type of archetype, that type of springy rim runner that Luca obviously had a lot of success with starting in Dallas on a minimum-salary deal … I think that’s a simple, obvious, bright letter A, the number one option for them. But I also think the Lakers will look at players like that (on the trade market).”
- The Lakers trailed by 10 seconds in the closing seconds of the second quarter before Doncic hit a 62-footer (Link to video on Twitter), which turned the tide of momentum, writes Law Murray of The Athletic. With the win, Los Angeles improved to 8-2, tied for the best mark in the league, and the last time a team opened a season with an 8-2 mark, they won the title (in 2019/20). Still, Redick says the Lakers still have a long way to go before they can enter the championship conversation. “I’m not just saying that – we all want good results” Redick said.It will be a long process and it will take time for us to become a great basketball team.”
- Benjamin Royer of The Southern California News Group recently spoke with Redick and his legendary former college coach, Mike Krzyzewskito better understand what drives Reddick. “JJ is really smart and he works according to the theory he always becomesKrzyzewski told SCNG in a phone interview.Who he is, who he was last year, is not necessarily the same person, player or coach he will be next year. And that’s how you always become. If you’re always becoming, it means you’re always ready to listen, ready to learn, ready to adapt to something new.”
