Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers entered the season with championship aspirations, but were swept out of the Western Conference Playoffs in the second round by the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Dončić was forced to watch from the sidelines as teammate and NBA icon LeBron James attempted to turn back the clock. As the Lakers deal with multiple questions heading into the off-season, an NBA champion believes Dončić should be on the list of question marks.
NBA Champion Calls Out Luka Dončić For Constant Injuries During Important Times
NBA champion Kendrick Perkins called out Dončić’s fitness level while discussing the future of James.
While discussing the Lakers on “First Take,” Perkins said “Luka Dončić, for the last three years, it’s been something come postseason time. Whether it’s been out of shape, or him dealing with some type of injury, and the majority of time, it comes from soft tissue injuries.”
Perkins added “So, if you’re the Lakers, you have a concern there. Because, yeah you can get through the regular season and Luka is a fantastic talent, we’re not gonna take that away from him. One of the best scorers that this game has ever seen.”
“But, when it comes to being reliable, Luka is starting to get in that territory of Joel Embiid. When you need him the most, and it comes postseason time, he’s not available.”
“Luka is starting to get in that territory of Joel Embiid. When you need him the most, and it comes postseason time, he’s not available.” 👀
—@KendrickPerkins on if the Lakers should prioritize Luka or LeBron 🍿 pic.twitter.com/OjSUbQo4gU
— First Take (@FirstTake) May 14, 2026
Dončić had another elite season, leading the league in scoring at 33.5 points per game, along with 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists. However, his season ended disappointingly just before the playoffs, as he suffered a significant hamstring strain.
He had a proactive rehab, but wasn’t able to heal fast enough to help the Lakers in the playoffs.
Perkins believes the Lakers should be concerned, as Dončić already has a lengthy injury history, despite just entering his prime at age 27. As Perkins mentioned, Dončić has dealt with multiple hamstring and calf strains in recent years. Dončić has dealt with fitness criticism since he arrived in the NBA.
He’s been noticeably out of shape at times, and reportedly played some of his final season with the Dallas Mavericks in the 260-270-pound range, which was cited as a possible reason the organization made the shocking decision to trade him to the Lakers.
Dončić overhauled his training program last summer, allowing him to enter the season in arguably the best shape of his career. That the season still ended with Dončić suffering an injury has to be especially frustrating. Perhaps Dončić is simply injury-prone, which is why Perkins brought up 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid.
Like Dončić, Embiid is nearly impossible to guard at his best. However, he is seemingly never fully healthy once the playoffs start.
Perhaps the comparison is unfair to Dončić, as he stayed healthy enough to take the Mavs to the NBA Finals, while Embiid hasn’t been able to take the Philadelphia 76ers to the Eastern Conference Finals, let alone the NBA Finals.
Perkins seemingly has doubts that Dončić will be able to lift the Lakers to the heights he took the Mavs, which is a serious problem considering the organization has essentially given him the keys. Dončić will enter next season under a lot of pressure if the Lakers and James part ways this summer.
