The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a tough 111-108 loss at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night, and all eyes were on star guard Luka Doncic. While Doncic's play for the Lakers has raised some cause for concern, former NBA player Chandler Parsons thinks Doncic's "reputation" could be hurting him in a unique way.
Even though he posted a triple-double with 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists, Doncic shot just 8-26 from the field, continuing a recent shooting slump since joining the Lakers. After the game, head coach JJ Redick called out his team for attempting to take "shortcuts" against an inferior Nets team.
"I think it was just an overall mentality just to take shortcuts tonight," Redick said. "Want to be a good team? You want to win in the NBA? You got to do the hard stuff. We couldn't even pass to each other. We couldn't enter our offense, running ball screens literally at half court. Yeah, that's going to end up in a turnover. I don't know what we're doing."
Doncic's play continues to be a concern for Los Angeles, especially now that fellow star LeBron James is sidelined with a groin injury. In Parsons' eyes, though, he feels that Doncic's relationship with the referees is becoming an increasingly big issue, especially with the playoffs drawing near.
"He does have to find a way to reel it in a little bit with the refs because you don't want that reputation amongst that group of referees where you're definitely not gonna get calls come playoff time," Parsons said on "Run It Back."
. @ChandlerParsons says Luka Doncic's relationship with NBA referees could cause problems for the Lakers in the playoffs
"I know a couple refs personally. I've played golf with them before. It's hilarious hearing their side of things because they are just human beings and… pic.twitter.com/mUaTx3fmXP
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) March 11, 2025
Through 34 games this year with both the Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, Doncic is averaging just 7.1 free throw attempts per game, which is a far cry from the 10.5 he averaged just two seasons ago. Parsons seems to believe that Doncic's constant criticism of referees isn't helping his case in this area.
Los Angeles has to turn the page from this and move on quickly, though, as they will be looking to get back in the win column when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.
Related: Luka Doncic, Lakers Hit with Harsh Reality by Colin Cowherd
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This story was originally published March 11, 2025 at 12:48 PM.