A recurring concern has emerged around the Los Angeles Lakers: Who is actually willing to hold Luka Doncic accountable?

That question became a major part of a recent discussion involving Olden Polynice and Jay Wagers, particularly with LeBron James no longer there to absorb some of the attention when things go wrong. For the Lakers, the issue isn’t whether Luka can produce offensively. It’s whether he can consistently handle the responsibilities that come with being the team’s central player.

Polynice believes that accountability has been missing.

“No one is ever going to hold Luka accountable. And that’s going to be the problem for the Lakers, especially now without LeBron being there,” Polynice said.

He specifically called out Luka for turning toward the officials after missed calls instead of getting back into the play. Polynice believes that’s where the coach needs to step in and demand more from him rather than worrying about how the star player might react.

Wagers Puts the Responsibility Back on Luka

The discussion then turned to whether the Lakers should consider changing coaches. Wagers wasn’t convinced that replacing JJ Redick would solve the underlying issue.

Instead, he argued that Luka has to take ownership of his defensive performance.

“I think it is more of a Luka thing,” Wagers said, explaining that a player serious about winning a championship has to be willing to do the smaller things that don’t always appear in the box score.

That includes recovering after getting beaten, rotating once the ball moves and making the second and third efforts necessary to stay involved in a possession. Wagers made a clear distinction between coaching and personal responsibility.

“That’s a Luka thing. That’s not a coach’s thing,” he said.

Wagers also pointed out that Luka has shown he can give more effort defensively, referring to his first two seasons. His argument is that Doncic has to recognize that championship basketball requires more than putting up elite offensive numbers.

That’s why the criticism isn’t simply about Redick. The bigger issue is whether Luka is willing to respond when that standard is demanded of him.

The stats tell a slightly different story. Doncic put up 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists over 64 games in 2025-26, while his individual defensive rating was 113.6. The Lakers also defended better as a team when he was on the floor, allowing 116.9 points per 100 possessions compared with 121.5 when he was off. Los Angeles went 53-29 and finished fourth in the Western Conference. None of that changes what Polynice and Wagers are saying about Luka’s effort, but it does show that the numbers don’t paint him as a straightforward defensive liability.

That distinction became even more important when the panel discussed coaches who wouldn’t hesitate to challenge a player of Luka’s stature. Polynice specifically brought up Steve Kerr and Erik Spoelstra as examples of coaches he believes would hold Doncic accountable.

“Steve Kerr will hold him accountable. Eric Spoelstra will damn sure hold him accountable,” Polynice said.

The timing makes this conversation matter more for the Lakers.With LeBron no longer there, more of the responsibility falls on Luka. That’s why the defensive side of his game could become even more important. The panel’s point was simple: putting up big offensive numbers isn’t enough if Luka isn’t giving the same effort on defense.

Nobody’s asking him to become a lockdown defender. Just recover after he gets beat, get back when the play moves on, and put in the extra effort a possession sometimes calls for.

Even in a good system, that part falls on the player, not the coach. Redick may need to push Luka harder instead of shielding him from criticism, but Wagers was clear about where this ultimately lands: Luka has to hold himself to that standard.