NBA Insider Warns Lakers Fans Are Growing Tired of Luka Dončić's 'Heliocentric' Play Style: 'I've Seen the Shift'
Luka Dončić and the Los Angeles Lakers have stabilized since dropping five games in seven appearances, taking care of business with three straight wins against inferior opponents.
Still, questions remain about the offense-heavy squad’s playoff outlook given its strong reliance on Dončić. Amid the uncertainty, insider Jovan Buha contended that Lakers fans have begun to turn on the six-time All-Star, citing issues with his play style.
Dončić Drawing Increasing ‘Negativity’ From Lakers Fans, Insider Claims
Despite being the NBA's leading scorer (32.4 points per game) on a sixth-seeded LA team (37-24) with a top-10 offensive rating (116.3), Dončić has been facing increasing pushback over his ball-dominance.
Analysts and former players alike have raised concerns about whether his league-high usage rate (37.4%) can translate to championship-level success. Meanwhile, some have claimed that Dončić probably isn’t someone his teammates, including his co-star LeBron James, enjoy sharing the floor with.
While the 27-year-old’s isolation and free-throw-heavy tactics have long irked opposing fan bases, Buha believes the sentiment has spilled over into Lakers Nation.
“I’ve seen the shift over the past few weeks where it’s been a lot more negativity from Lakers fans toward Luka and a lot more just not liking the aesthetics of his game or the shot selection or just the heliocentric nature,” Buha shared during a Wednesday appearance on “The Ryen Russillo Show.”
The insider added that backlash toward Dončić began after his 2024 NBA Finals letdown as a member of the Dallas Mavericks and has only been amplified since joining the league’s premier market.
“From the national perspective, I think this had been brewing since the 2024 Finals, right? You had the [Brian] Windhorst moment, and then you also had post-Dallas trade, just a lot of the narrative coming out from the Dallas side,” Buha pointed out.
“So, I think this has been brewing, and there’s been a little bit of a narrative around Luka, and to be clear, a lot of it’s fair.”
Lakers insider claims LA’s fan base is beginning to turn on Luka Dončić👀 pic.twitter.com/8qELmdyvRW
— StatHunter (@stat_hunter) March 5, 2026
Regardless of LA’s fan base’s perception of Dončić, the Lakers’ shortcomings extend far beyond alleged problems with his style of play. The team sits just 22nd in defensive rating (116.0), lacking the optimal personnel around its franchise player to separate itself as a bona fide title threat.
Assuming Dončić and Co.’s playoff endeavors follow a similar trajectory as last year, an offseason overhaul around the Slovenian megastar will likely be in order, with defensive reinforcements on the way.
