Right before July, LeBron James and Rich Paul did not sound overly convinced of the Los Angeles Lakers and their ability to win an NBA championship in 2025-26. A little over a month later, Luka Doncic openly disagreed with that sentiment.
Doncic committed to his long-term future in Los Angeles on Aug. 2. The Lakers superstar signed a three-year, $165 million contract extension to remain with the franchise for the foreseeable future.
At the press conference that followed the major announcement, Doncic was asked about the roster construction around him, in relation to the goal of competing for a title. The Slovenian superstar did not hesitate to share a vote of confidence in what Rob Pelinka has done.
Doncic said, "We have a great team. We have what we need to compete for the championship. [I'll] try to win every game no matter what. We got some new great guys on the team, and, as you know, we're going to go for it."
Lakers roster taking shape around Luka Doncic
The Lakers are not perfect. There are still some missing elements from the team that would certainly increase the chances of the Lakers competing for a title in 2025-26. Pelinka and the front office will have the opportunity to address that before that window is closed.
The relentless desire to maximize this current position should never be lost. However, it is important to not lose perspective on everything working in the Lakers' favor heading into 2025-26.
Doncic will have every opportunity to firmly reestablish himself as a legitimate competitor for Nikola Jokic's crown of being the best player in the NBA during the upcoming season. His body transformation is the biggest reason to be bullish about the Lakers.
No other team in the NBA can lay claim to having two of the 10 best players in the league beside for the Lakers. To whatever tune of disgruntlement that James may have, the all-time great represents one of the biggest advantages that Los Angeles will have.
LeBron is the best second option in the entire NBA. The future Hall of Famer will be afforded a full training camp for him and Doncic to figure out how to best operate together too.
The Lakers plugged their hole at starting center. They patched up the lackluster depth that hurt them in the 2025 NBA Playoffs. There is a lot to like. The hope would be all those mounting factors culminating in a reason for opposing teams to fear seeing Los Angeles on the schedule in 2025-26.