Luka Doncic already owns two scoring titles, and according to ESPN insiders Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon, a third one is very much in play next season.
On The Hoop Collective podcast, the two broke down Doncic’s chances to finish atop the NBA scoring race again, with LeBron James no longer alongside him on the Los Angeles Lakers. MacMahon noted that Doncic has taken the crown twice in the past three seasons, and Windhorst made the case that the setup now points even more strongly toward another huge scoring year.
Tim MacMahon: “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.”
Brian Windhorst: “And I think the idea that with LeBron not there this year, that, you know, Luka will be scoring again like he did when he was in Dallas, which is, I don’t think, the worst-”
Tim MacMahon: “He did that last year. Luka averaged 33 and a half points per game last year.”
Brian Windhorst: “I know, as LeBron took a step back a little bit. LeBron also, early in the season, missed a bunch of games and everything as he was ramping up. So, uh, but yeah, I don’t-I mean, picking Luka certainly makes a lot of sense.”
The numbers back up the optimism. Doncic averaged 33.5 points per game last season, and there’s no sign that his workload is shrinking. If anything, the move away from LeBron only sharpens the spotlight on Doncic as the clear center of the Lakers’ offense.
MacMahon also pointed out that Doncic won’t be cruising to the title without competition. In the poll the pair discussed, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished second and Anthony Edwards third. Shai posted 31.1 points per game last season after averaging 32.7 the year before.
The discussion turned to just how difficult Doncic is to scheme against when he’s rolling. MacMahon brought up his 73-point eruption against the Atlanta Hawks, a game that showed off nearly every piece of his offensive package. Windhorst and MacMahon both emphasized how dangerous Doncic becomes when the step-back three is falling, because that opens the door to his passing game as well.
“And obviously, we all know he’s one of, if not the best passer in the league as well. 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.”
Windhorst also zeroed in on Doncic’s ability to manipulate pace, saying his change-of-speed game is one of the hardest things to guard in the league.
Brian Windhorst: “Well, the thing that Luka does so incredibly well is change speed. He goes fast-he goes faster than you think he’s going to go fast.
And he has the ability to slow down in ways he takes advantage of his opponents. His ability-has as good of brakes as anybody in the league.
And it’s a combination of, like, literally, like, the P3 testing, you know, the peak performance.”
Tim MacMahon: “Uh, what’s the other P? You know, the place in Santa Barbara where these guys go get tested. When he came in the league, you could put the graphs-his graphs over the top of James Harden’s graphs because that was also, like, Harden.”
“That’s the whole step-back thing, is the threat of the drive and then the ability to create a ton of space. They both do that.
But then Luka has that, like, lean. Luka still weighs probably 240.
You know, he has that, and the ability just-he’s not skinny.”
Brian Windhorst: “He’s just skinny.”
The offseason eye test has only added to the buzz around Doncic, who appears significantly slimmer after committing himself to fitness. That detail only feeds the idea that he could be even tougher to handle this year.
Still, the bigger picture for the Lakers is more complicated. While the insiders sounded confident about Doncic’s scoring outlook, the broader league conversation has also raised real questions about Los Angeles’ ceiling, especially on defense and with the roster after LeBron’s departure.
So the setup is pretty clear: Doncic could spend next season putting together one of the biggest scoring runs of his career, even if the Lakers as a team are still trying to prove they can keep up in the bigger race.
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