Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers will enter next season with a roster poised to compete for the franchise's 18th championship.
During his seven-year career, Dončić has averaged 28.6 points per game, solidifying himself as one of the best scorers in the league.
Despite this, Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes ranked him second when he predicted this upcoming season's leading scorers.
“Luka Dončić has No. 1 scorer upside, a fact we know to be true because he was the NBA's leader at 33.9 points per game in 2023-24,” Hughes said Monday.
“The 26-year-old also has the benefit of 'best shape of his life' momentum behind him. It's typically a mistake to buy into offseason conditioning stories because they're mostly PR ploys, but Dončić's is a bit more convincing because the entire world learned last year that there were real questions about his focus, conditioning, and commitment.”
The only player ranked ahead of Dončić is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP.
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Dončić has been one of the best scorers in the league since he was drafted, but there are a lot of variables to think about.
He is now sharing the floor with LeBron James, who, by the way, didn’t crack the top ten.
Then again, he seems to have transformed his body this offseason, which may help his shot selection.
At the end of the day, Dončić is going to score a lot of points, but to finish first, it will matter what the rest of the elite players are doing for their teams.
More NBA: Celtics could cut ties with $285 million champion forward, acquire former first overall pick