While Luka Doncic is widely regarded as one of the five best active basketball players right now, a chorus of critics continues to express doubts over whether a team led by him can capture an NBA championship. His critics frequently point to his underwhelming defense, his tendency to complain to referees, and an unprecedented, historically high usage rate as primary reasons he allegedly cannot anchor a title-winning roster.

However, 5x Los Angeles Lakers champion Derek Fisher is pushing back against the narrative. On an appearance on the Derek & Decker show via 97.1 The Fan, Fisher was asked if winning a championship with Doncic is possible. The former Lakers star’s answer was straightforward.

“The short answer is yes,” Fisher said. “He slowly worked his way up the MVP conversation late. The post-All-Star break run he was on prior to the injury was, yeah, there was another level of basketball that he was playing. Not just the scoring, but I thought his defense was improving. He’s always been able to make his teammates better. Some of the passes that he makes, his court-mapping and spatial awareness, where his teammates are, how to anticipate defensive rotation, it’s next level.”

Fisher further hyped Doncic’s elite skills, comparing his impact on any roster to the leadership of NBA greats Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. However, he believes Doncic’s leadership is a little different from the tenacity that MJ and Bryant brought to the team.

“You need a superstar that can elevate his teammates, either through—Michael [Jordan] did it through force. You had to get to Michael’s level,” Fisher added. Kobe [Bryant] had some of that energy as well, but other guys, Magic [Johnson] did it differently. Tyrese Haliburton led his team to the Finals, SGA won a title, like those guys are doing it a little bit more where they want to be one of the guys, they want to be inclusive, they make everybody better, even though they are the best player. Luka has a lot of that energy about him.”

It’s well-documented. Michael Jordan repeatedly challenged Scottie Pippen or Horace Grant to beat him in practice. Bryant had a rigid, demanding regimen from teammates like Fisher. Magic Johnson was a little more clinical, compiling newspaper clippings to read out what the opposing fanbase was saying about the Showtime Lakers. Sometimes he even made it up.

Maybe we don’t see the same intimidation, ego-bruising, or clinical antics amid Luka bickering with Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. Doncic’s style has been building team chemistry off-court and ensuring his teammates don’t lose their love for the game under pressure. It’s a deviation from the known facets of Mamba Mentality.

However, to Fisher’s point, Doncic knows how to get the best out of his teammates. With the Slovenian playing as the point guard, very often bigs hugely benefit. During his time with the Dallas Mavericks, Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II had the best year of their careers and helped the team reach the NBA Finals in 2024.

When the move to the Lakers happened, it was Jaxson Hayes who formed a great chemistry with Doncic to put up some good offensive performances.

The Lakers’ record with Luka Doncic on the court was 43-21. While they stayed about .500, their offensive numbers with him on the court were just better. However, it was the defensive side of things where the team in Purple and Gold needs to work on with Doncic. The lack of effort sometimes is there for everyone to see, which is why critics have started to jump out, criticizing his game.

While there is certainly room for improvement on the defensive side of things, Fisher believes, Doncic’s playing style will attract free agents to the team, which in turn will help the Lakers compete. He has already proven that he can lead the team to the NBA Finals with quality pieces around. With this offseason expected to be a big one in the Purple and Gold side of LA, Doncic could prove Fisher true, but for that, a lot has to happen.

Lakers are invested in the Luka Doncic era

Derek Fisher is still on to something. As much as Luka Doncic has his critics, the Lakers are dead set on making him the franchise cornerstone. The impending offseason rests heavily on maximizing Doncic. This past season, the Slovenian phenom turned in an MVP-caliber campaign, averaging 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game to finish fourth in the final MVP voting.

Despite not charming fans or media, he crawled his way into the MVP conversation late in the season, putting up MVP numbers and matching Kobe Bryant’s 60-point ‘Mamba Out’ record. Having officially entered the absolute prime of his career at age 27, Doncic has already proven a capacity to go far in the postseason.

As per Fisher, they have the generational talent piece. The Lakers just need to make the biggest front office maneuvers to help him. They’ll have to add pieces that address his specific needs, like perimeter defense. Doncic scouted Marcus Smart for this reason last summer. While only Smart’s availability has been the hurdle, the Lakers’ Deandre Ayton experiment has sputtered. Which is probably why all their trade rumors center around viable bigs who can catch the triple-double machine’s lobs.

LeBron James’ future in LA is also a big question mark. If he does not return, the Lakers will have significant cap space to make some big moves around Doncic. They also have a decision to make about Austin Reaves. While Reaves and Doncic are offensively a great backcourt, playing them together could hamper their defensive efficiency.

When the Mavs made the NBA Finals, they brought in some solid two-way players like P.J. Washington and another rim protector and lob-threat in Gafford to help Doncic. The Lakers ideally need to adopt a similar recruiting strategy and surround Doncic with elite two-way presence to maximize his brilliance.

The evidence is there that Doncic can be great in LA.  He has the offensive weapon needed to win it all, but the Lakers need to surround him with good personnel to secure a championship in the Luka Doncic era.