Lakers teammates shot less with Luka Doncic in 2025-26; efficiency was mixed
In 2025-26 all 15 Lakers teammates in the sample took fewer shots and scored fewer points with Luka Doncic. Their efficiency split roughly evenly, and the team scored 116.9 a game with him against 114.4 without.
Published: · Figures as of October 11, 2026
Asked: Does building an offense around Luka put a ceiling on what his teammates can do?
Luka caps his teammates' shots and assists, not their efficiency
In 2025-26, all 15 Lakers teammates with at least eight games both with and without Luka Doncic took fewer shots and scored fewer points when he played. For the eight rotation players below, efficiency did not fall as a group, and the team scored more with him on the floor. The Lakers scored 116.9 points a game in his 64 games (43-21) and 114.4 in the 18 he missed (10-8).
| Teammate | Without Luka (FGA per game) | With Luka (FGA per game) |
|---|---|---|
| Reaves | 16.3 | 14.6 |
| LeBron | 17.0 | 14.9 |
| Hachimura | 10.9 | 8.1 |
| Ayton | 10.4 | 7.8 |
| Smart | 10.7 | 7.2 |
| Kennard | 8.2 | 5.5 |
| LaRavia | 6.6 | 6.3 |
| Hayes | 5.4 | 3.7 |
The ceiling shows up in volume and playmaking. Each of the eight took fewer shots with Luka, from 0.3 fewer for Jake LaRavia to 3.5 fewer for Marcus Smart. Austin Reaves went from 28.6 points on 16.3 shots a game to 22.0 on 14.6. His assists dropped from 8.0 to 4.9, and LeBron James's from 10.3 to 6.5. Team assists fell from 28.0 to 25.3 a game.
| Teammate | PPG without Luka | PPG with Luka | TS% without | TS% with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Reaves | 28.6 | 22.0 | 67.5% | 63.1% |
| LeBron James | 22.2 | 20.7 | 55.9% | 60.3% |
| Rui Hachimura | 15.8 | 10.0 | 66.9% | 59.7% |
| Deandre Ayton | 14.7 | 11.9 | 64.9% | 68.5% |
| Marcus Smart | 12.6 | 8.8 | 52.2% | 54.9% |
| Jake LaRavia | 9.1 | 8.0 | 59.5% | 56.4% |
Efficiency split evenly among the regulars. True shooting rose with Luka for James, Ayton, Smart and Luke Kennard (66.3% with, 65.8% without). It fell for Reaves, Hachimura, LaRavia and Jaxson Hayes (75.4% with, 77.2% without). Across all 15 teammates, 5 shot better with him and 10 shot worse. The drops are steepest for low-minute players such as Drew Timme, Nick Smith Jr. and Maxi Kleber, whose playing time was also cut. Reaves stayed efficient at 63.1% on 14.6 shots a game, so the evidence points to fewer touches rather than worse touches.
The team's ceiling went up as individual ceilings came down. The Lakers' estimated points per 100 possessions were 117.1 with Luka and 114.6 without. They allowed 114.3 a game with him and 115.6 without. Their 53-29 record was 7.7 wins ahead of what their scoring margins supported (45.3 implied wins), so the win-loss gap above is generous to Luka.
Last season's rotation is mostly gone. James has signed with the 76ers, as announced on September 28, 2026. Ayton, Hachimura, Kennard, Smart and Hayes are also no longer on the roster. Kessler, Grimes, Sexton and Thybulle have no games beside Luka, so this split describes a different supporting cast. DataBaller's Power Rating for the new roster, built at last season's minutes, is 4.9 points per game above an average team, with Luka at 25.4 minutes and Reaves at 24.5.
Confidence: Medium. Only 18 games came without Luka, many teammate samples are 9 to 18 games, and some of those games were missed by other rotation players too. A larger no-Luka sample, or games with the new roster beside him, would change this.