Luka Dončić now bears the burden of the Los Angeles Lakers without LeBron James for the very first time in eight years, and how the burden is shared will be the center of all discussions regarding the team. This is the reason why Al Harrington has asked whether Luka Dončić’s coach can connect with him.

“I think there is another level for him, but I don’t honestly think JJ’s the one to pull it out of him because he played against JJ,” Al Harrington, a 16-year NBA veteran, said on the To The Baha podcast. “That respect is never going to be there. He’s always going to remember the time where in his mind he was sitting there looking at JJ like this f–king bum or whatever. He’ll never be able to get past that.”

Respect, in particular, leads Harrington to conclude this pairing won’t last. This approach by Harrington is based on the personal career of JJ Redick, who was not a star but only a role player, and whose coaching career bypassed all the traditional steps to become an NBA coach from an ESPN analyst.

This is certainly one point on the X post regarding experience, but it does not say anything about Doncic’s on-court performance.

Doncic was never coached under Redick before last year, and they were only briefly teammates at the Mavericks. Analyst Sam Esfandiari questioned whether the first-time head coach has the “cold-blooded” authority needed to consistently hold a superstar like Luka Dončić accountable

In fact, Mat Issa of SB Nation believes Dončić could finally get the offensive setup he needs. The previous pairing with two dominant ball-handlers was far from seamless.

Dončić hasn’t needed a certain voice to get there himself either. He produced All-NBA First Team type stats with Rick Carlisle in Dallas, continued to progress under Jason Kidd on his way to the 2024 NBA Finals, and has been consistent since the Lakers gave him control of the offense, proving that it’s not about having respect for the coach.

This is where Redick’s no prior coaching experience to his Lakers appointment could come in. Regardless, though, the coach himself is not worried.

JJ Redick Backs Luka Doncic Amid the Outside Noise

Harrington’s remarks were just another opinion made in the midst of an active offseason, but the coach of Doncic, the man who has been coaching him all through the season, has already made a statement that is completely contrary to Harrington’s statements.

“He’s playing as well as anybody in the NBA right now, and it’s probably not being talked about enough,” JJ Redick said on March 12, 2026, following a win over the Chicago Bulls.

This praise followed a 51-point outburst for Doncic from the field along with nine three-pointers on 14 attempts, 10 rebounds, nine assists and three steals, a remarkable line that came despite a poor first half for Doncic.

With LeBron gone, the Lakers’ next chapter rests heavily on Dončić and Redick finding the right balance. If that connection clicks, the noise fades fast. If it doesn’t, the questions about accountability will only get louder.