Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic showed up to training camp in the best shape of his career, following a transformative offseason change ahead of his first full season with the iconic NBA franchise. As many around the league look ahead to the 2025-’26, there’s agreement regarding where Doncic ranks among the best NBA players right now.
In an ESPN poll of more than 150 analysts, beat reporters, and insiders regarding the best NBA players in 2025, Doncic placed third behind Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.
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- Luka Doncic stats: 28.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 7.5 APG, 1.6 SPG, 43.8% FG, 3.6 3PM per game, 0.164 Win Shares per 48 Minutes in 28 games with the Lakers
It represents a drop compared to last season’s list, with Gilgeous-Alexander moving ahead of him after winning NBA MVP and NBA Finals MVP this past season. However, Doncic did manage to stay ahead of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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- Luka Doncic contract (Spotrac): $45.999 million cap hit (2025-26), $49.641 million cap hit (2026-27), $53.612 million cap hit (2027-28), $57.584 million player option in 2028
ESPN even included some NBA stats projections for Doncic, forecasting that he’ll average 30.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game next season. If those numbers come to fruition, it would be his best season since 2023-24 when he finished third in NBA MVP voting after averaging 33.9 points, 9.8 assists, and 9.2 rebounds per game with the Dallas Mavericks.
Doncic’s teammate, LeBron James, was voted eighth among the best NBA players right now. Heading into his 23rd NBA season, the eighth spot is one of the lowest in James’ legendary career. As a 41-year-old, ESPN projects him to average 24.9 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.7 rebounds per game this season.
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If LeBron stays healthy and averages those totals, he will pass Jason Kidd (12,091) for the third-most assists in NBA history, and the feat would likely come just over 60 games into the regular season. In addition, a healthy LeBron (11,731) will likely surpass Dennis Rodman (11,954) for 24th place on the NBA all-time rebounds leaderboard.