Luka Doncic's leadership for the Los Angeles Lakers gets a spotlight from Collin Sexton

Luka Doncic’s leadership for the Los Angeles Lakers gets a spotlight from Collin Sexton originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Now that LeBron James has left the Los Angeles Lakers, the team is now clearly centered on Luka Doncic. He is the superstar now, and he seems to be embracing the leadership role, with the four-time Finals MVP moving east to join the Philadelphia 76ers.

So far, so good for Doncic because he has been taking his new role seriously. In fact, he even brought a lot of his Lakers teammates to Slovenia in the summer. It was a big deal for Luka and his teammates because it shows he is willing to lead them in the 2026-27 season.

Collin Sexton reveals that Luka Doncic is taking his leadership role seriously

It was clear in the 2026 Playoffs that the Lakers would have gone further if they had a healthy Doncic. They managed to make it into the second round, but they fell to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a dominant sweep. James and Reaves tried their best, but they lacked the firepower.

While James has left the Lakers, Doncic is back and healthy. He was the #1 guy for the Lakers since they traded for him in February 2025. Now that LeBron is not on the Lakers, it is time for Luka to step up and be the star while also assuming the leadership role.

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As a new teammate, Collin Sexton was excited to be part of the Lakers roster alongside Doncic. In just the first few weeks of him being a Laker, he is already meshing well with his teammates, especially during the team-building activities they did in Slovenia, Doncic’s home country.

“For Luka to do that, that just shows a true leader. And you can tell that’s the role that he wants to fall into this season and be the one to lead us. It was amazing. It was definitely cool. It definitely was one of those experiences that I would love to go back. I think it was something that you never expect,” Sexton said to ESPN Los Angeles regarding Doncic’s leadership so far.

This is a good sign for the Lakers because they want to be competitive in the 2026-27 season. No one is giving them a shot compared to the Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs. However, having Doncic as the star player and willing leader is an advantage that can go a long way.