Luka Doncic has been a sensation in his short time with the Los Angeles Lakers. He has infused the team with a number of things that it had been missing prior to his arrival, and shortly after his debut, it went on an eight-game winning streak.
He seems to have some of that grit, toughness and determination that late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant had. It will cause him to take over games for stretches of action, even if it means somewhat ignoring his teammates.
Of course, that type of play can come off differently to different people. Doncic has been getting off to some hot starts for Los Angeles, and it led Chris Broussard to say on Fox Sports 1's "First Things First" that, in his mind, Doncic is a ball hog.
"Luka Doncic is a ball hog," Broussard said. "A great ball hog. A Hall of Fame ball hog — future Hall of Famer. An all-time elite ball hog. He's a ball hog!”
Broussard cited the way Doncic played early in Monday's loss to the Orlando Magic as evidence for his audacious claim.
"... You got all these guys just standing, watching you. He took nine shots in the first quarter. .... It's one thing to be a ball hog when you got Tim Hardaway as a teammate. ... But when you are going five-out and everyone's standing there watching out operate and LeBron James is a teammate? That ain't good."
.@Chris_Broussard is delivering some bad news to Lakers fans 👀
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) March 25, 2025
“Luka Doncic is a ball hog. A great ball hog. A Hall of Fame ball hog (future). An all-time elite ball hog. HE’S A BALL HOG.” 😅🤣 pic.twitter.com/Yr0VpJNZPW
Doncic took a team-high 23 shots in Monday's game and made just nine of them. In the first quarter, his nine official shot attempts more than doubled the second-highest total on the team in that period, and he had no assists during that time. He made just three of those first nine shot attempts.
The counter to that argument, however, is that James hasn't asserted himself as much as he normally does in his two games back from a groin strain and that Austin Reaves shot just 7-of-16 from the field and 1-of-6 from 3-point range. Doncic did end up with seven assists, and he attempted just two shots in the fourth quarter when L.A. tried to make a comeback.
Sometimes, great players such as Doncic or James have to take over games for long stretches almost by themselves. It can seem selfish, but in reality, it is simply a matter of such a player doing what his team needs him to do in order to have a real shot at victory.
James, of course, has also been accused of being a ball hog and a stat-padder in recent years. In the end, the proof will be in the pudding as far as how far the Lakers go in the playoffs. If the end result is an NBA championship, no one will care that much about how much Doncic or James kept the ball to themselves.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Prominent NBA reporter calls Luka Doncic a 'ball hog'
