Luka Doncic: 'I Have Speed, I Just Don't Show It'

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic has been one of the very best players in the NBA for years at this point. Doncic dominates despite being one of the slowest players on the court, but he made an interesting claim about his speed on the Mind the Game podcast.  

“I have speed, I just don’t show it,” Doncic said.

Well, Doncic certainly doesn't need to show off that speed on the offensive end. The 26-year-old averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game for the Lakers in 2024-25. 

Doncic has averaged more than 27 points and seven assists in every season of his NBA career except the first one. The five-time All-Star is an offensive juggernaut, and there are very few players in NBA history who can generate points at the clip he does.

Doncic plays at his own slow pace, and teams just cannot speed him up. The Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the best teams in the NBA over the last two years, but they have had some trouble when facing the Slovenian.

Podcast co-host Steve Nash stated that the Thunder cannot speed up Doncic, and it's one of the reasons why he has had success against them. He knocked them out of the playoffs in the Conference Semifinals last year, and it would have been interesting to see what he could have done this time around.

While Doncic's slowness on offense isn't a problem, it is on the defensive end. The players he guards are able to get past him fairly easily at times, and the Lakers would love to see that speed he's not showing anyone.

Doncic allowed the most blow-by's in any playoff game this year in Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. While it wasn't the biggest reason why the Lakers lost and were eliminated, it certainly didn't help that the Timberwolves were able to blow past him that often.

Luka Doncic On Mastering The Late Pass

Doncic is one of the best playmakers in the NBA today, and Nash revealed he is particularly impressed by his ability to perform the late pass. The former MVP was interested in knowing if that was something Doncic always did or mastered as he grew older.  

"I think it developed during time, I don't think I did that as a kid," Doncic stated. "I don't remember that. But what I always said to my teammates [is], 'Once I go up, stay in your spot because I know where you were before and if I don’t have any option, I’ll pass it to you.'"

Doncic getting into the teeth of the defense and then passing out to a wide-open shooter is a common occurrence. There are times when you think he's definitely going to attempt a shot, but then he finds one of his teammates for a better look.

In this episode, LeBron James also praised Doncic for his ability to dictate the tempo of a game. James himself is great at that, and it will be fascinating to see how these two function on the court next season after having a training camp together.

James and Doncic started gelling on the court a lot sooner than expected after the latter arrived via trade from the Dallas Mavericks in February. Their connection should be all the stronger in 2025-26.