Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic believes the team was on track to challenge for the NBA title until injuries struck late in the 2025-26 season.
Speaking after the Lakers were eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder, the 27-year-old superstar said the club’s 15-2 surge in March had convinced players a deep postseason run was possible. “Honestly, I think this season obviously didn’t end how we wanted, but I feel like the last push we made at the end of the regular season, we thought we could compete for a championship,” Doncic said.
Doncic sustained a Grade 2 strain of his left hamstring near the end of the regular season, and guard Austin Reaves also went down, leaving Los Angeles short-handed for the opening round. “For me and AR, [we] got injured at the worst moment. That was a little bit of bad luck,” he added.
The Slovenian guard powered the March turnaround, averaging 37.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.3 steals while shooting 49.2 percent from the field and 39.2 percent from three-point range. “I thought we had a great team, we had great chemistry,” Doncic said. “Playing with AR and Bron was an unbelievable experience.”
Even with Doncic sidelined, the Thunder advanced, but the Lakers’ locker room remained encouraged by its late-season form. “Every time we stepped on the court, everybody was fighting. And most importantly, everybody was having fun,” Doncic noted.
Despite the injury, Doncic finished fourth in 2025-26 NBA MVP voting. The Lakers launched a social-media campaign to bolster his candidacy, but Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ultimately won the award.
Los Angeles enters the offseason looking to adjust the roster under general manager Rob Pelinka, aiming to reduce Doncic’s workload and preserve his health for a full playoff run.
Source: LakersNation.com
