Luka Doncic believes in himself and his Slovenian national team. That power of belief has gotten his country far past the point many may have projected for them, and there is no reason that Doncic cannot have that same kind of effect on the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2025-26 NBA season.
Doncic powered Slovenia past Italy in the Round of 16 at EuroBasket 2025 with another dominant performance. The superstar point guard put up 42 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals in a 84-77 win. Doncic shot 11-of-19 from the field, 5-of-11 from beyond the arc, and 15-of-16 from the free throw line.
After the game was over, the Slovenian superstar delivered a big statement regarding what his national team hopes to do at EuroBasket. The message was originally translated from his native language, so there could be some room for error here. However, the sentiment is clear.
"We're hoping for the medal," Doncic told Slovenian media after the win over Italy. "We think we can win a medal. I know a lot of others don't, but we believe in us. Everybody that's here, we all believe, everyone in everyone. So, just with head forward."
Luka Doncic's mentality should fire up Lakers' title hopes this season
Many have described Doncic's form at EuroBasket as an all-time carry job. That is certainly fitting of the incredible numbers registered by the generational talent.
Doncic is averaging 34.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 3.2 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game with Slovenia. The shooting splits of 46-32-89 are more than respectable too, considering the type of defensive coverages that Luka faces on a game-to-game basis.
If Doncic brings the us against the world mentality to the Lakers this season, especially with his current level of player quality, the NBA is in danger. The team in Los Angeles is far from perfect, but Rob Pelinka has certainly given Luka more to work with than his current national team set-up.
The Lakers have been dismissed by many as contenders in 2025-26. In all fairness, there is a bit more work to be done. However, if Doncic is bringing this same type of confidence to Los Angeles that he has to his national team, the Lakers can certainly exceed expectations.
Edo Muric, a teammate on Slovenia, raved about Luka's leadership leading up to the tournament. The results have spoken for themselves. The Lakers will hope to be the next benefactors of what a dialed-in Doncic can bring to a team.