Ever since LeBron James packed his bags and joined the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason, a lot has been made about how well he will fit in with his new team. However, what about the Los Angeles Lakers?
The Lakers have undergone major change and were spurred into a spending spree after LeBron’s decision to leave. Now, two ESPN insiders have turned the conversation back to Los Angeles, and specifically to Luka Dončić.
Brian Windhorst’s Recent Prediction Regarding Luka Dončić
On a recent episode of “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective,” Tim MacMahon and Brian Windhorst were talking about who could take over as the league’s top scorer this season. MacMahon brought up how Dončić was already the scoring leader last year.
“Okay, so Luka’s won it twice. Luka won in ’24, and again, he won it two of the last three years, ’24 and ’26,” MacMahon said during the segment.
Windhorst picked up from there, pointing out that with LBJ no longer around, the Slovenian star is set to show off his scoring power in an even bigger way this time around.
“And I think the idea is that with LeBron not there this year, you know, Luka will be scoring again like he did when he was in Dallas, which I don’t think is the worst,” Windhorst added.
Moreover, MacMahon also added that with Dončić in the condition he is in right now, he could be scary for the rest of the league next season.
“And I’m just telling you, man, the condition that Luka appears to be in, like it’s got a chance to be pretty scary,” MacMahon added.
Dončić led the NBA in scoring during the 2025-26 season, averaging 33.5 points per game across 64 games for the Lakers. That marked his second career scoring title, the first coming back in 2023-24, and it happened in his very first full season wearing purple and gold.
He did miss the final stretch of the regular season with an injury, but he still finished well clear of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who averaged 31.1 points per game.
That first scoring title, back in 2023-24, came while Dončić was still with the Dallas Mavericks, where he also put up a league-high 33.9 points per game. So this isn’t new territory for him. He’s been here before, and last year he did it again, this time in a Lakers uniform.
Moreover, Windhorst’s point is a fair one when you think about it. Last season, James was still soaking up a good chunk of the offense. He averaged 20.9 points a game last season. Now that he’s gone, Dončić becomes the clear-cut number one option on the floor. That usually means more shots, and more chances to pad that scoring average even further.
Still, the season will ultimately decide whether Windhorst’s prediction comes true. Dončić will have to stay healthy and maintain his efficiency throughout the long NBA schedule.
