Lakers’ Jeanie Buss Acknowledges Team Needs More Than Just Luka Doncic

The owner of the Lakers knows that she needs to build more around Doncic for them to be contenders in the coming years.

Mar 10, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) spins around Brooklyn Nets forward Ziaire Williams (8) during the fourth quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers started building for the future when they traded for Luka Doncic. He is just 26 years old and still hasn't hit the prime of his career yet.

Not only does he help the Lakers contend for a title now, but they have him to build around for the next decade. You can't have a better centerpiece for your franchise than Doncic.

With LeBron James out with an injury, Doncic will have to carry the load offensively. That's something that he has proven that he can do, carrying the Mavericks to the NBA Finals just last year.

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Jeanie Buss was the one who ultimately signed off on bringing Doncic to Los Angeles. She was very excited to bring him to the Lakers when the trade was offered.

As great as he is, she understands that the Lakers will need more than just Doncic to contend for an NBA championship in the future. She acknowledged that more work will need to be done with the roster.

"I think we need to get the right players around him," Buss said of Doncic. "It's very interesting to watch him play with LeBron. We don't have enough of a sample size yet. Wow, this kid can pass the ball. He sees the game like no one I've ever [seen]. I really had no idea how great of a mind he has for basketball."

James will only have a couple of years left to play with Doncic, so they will need to find other guys who fit with him.

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The Lakers will be one of the best teams in the NBA as long as they have Doncic on the roster. He is just now starting to hit his stride with the Lakers, so he will only get better from there.

Los Angeles will work diligently in the next few years to build a roster that fits around Doncic. Right now, they are more worried about winning it all this year.

With the Lakers, Doncic is averaging 24.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, and eight assists per game.

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