Luka Doncic has wasted little time reminding the NBA why he's one of the most dangerous players in basketball. Through the first four games of the 2026-27 season, he's averaging 36.0 points, 8.3 assists, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game, while shooting 48.4% from the field and 39.6% from 3-point range. He opened the season with 28 points against Golden State, then followed that up with 23 against the Clippers before dropping 52 against the Jazz and then 41 against the Trail Blazers.
Yet despite his hot start to the year, former NBA champion Channing Frye has questioned whether Doncic's current playing style can truly lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a championship, drawing a comparison to James Harden. I just don't think the way he plays basketball is going to win a championship," Frye said. "I think Luka is a lot like James Harden.
Both of those guys are amazing, but their usage rate is not equating to championships. Who has played like that and shown you that they can win a championship?" More news: Anthony Edwards Faces Brutal $304 Million Blow After Knee Injury During his prime with Houston, Harden was the engine of an offense built around isolation scoring, pick-and-rolls, and controlling the ball on nearly every possession. He won an MVP, led the league in scoring three times, and reached the Western Conference Finals twice with the Rockets, but never won a championship.
His only NBA Finals appearance came in 2012 with Oklahoma City, where he was the sixth man, and the Thunder ultimately lost that series to Miami. Harden has also faced criticism for disappearing in important playoff moments. He scored just nine points in Philadelphia's Game 7 loss to Boston in 2023, and seven points in the Clippers Game 7 loss to Denver in 2025.
Even this past postseason with the Cavaliers, he averaged just 16 points per game in Cleveland's Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Knicks, a four-game sweep. More news: NBA Insider Makes Eye-Opening Admission About Cooper Flagg and LeBron James More news: Stephen A Smith Blasts Kawhi Leonard After Brutal Injury News The concern for Doncic is that a similar style could make the Lakers too dependent on one player. His scoring and playmaking are unmatched, but a team can become easier to defend in the playoffs if its offense relies too heavily on one player creating everything.
That can also put an enormous physical burden on its star. Still, the comparison has limits. Doncic has already led Dallas to the 2024 NBA Finals, and currently has the Lakers sitting at 4-1 and looking like one of the best teams in the league.
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