The Los Angeles Lakers are always under the greatest spotlight in the NBA, and lately, the conversation has centered on the team’s defense. After a hot start, the Lakers have cooled down significantly, largely due to a series of continuous defensive lapses, with fingers pointed at names across the roster, including Luka Doncic, LeBron James, JJ Redick, and more. However, recently, NBA commentator Reggie Miller’s comments caught attention.

“In footage that is a replay about something else, [Reggie Miller is] going to go out of his way to crap on Luka,” YouTuber Angry Old Hoops Fan says in a video criticizing Miller’s perceived one-sidedness.

“In the first period, I’m already finding examples exposing LeBron James for exactly what Reggie Miller is calling Luka out for… He is here to destroy Luka, so LeBron has another scapegoat.”

The finger is on Miller’s commentary during the Lakers’ game against the Detroit Pistons, where he directly called out Doncic for not being engaged on defensive possessions during a Jalen Duren dunk, telling Doncic to “move your feet a little bit.” The timing of the incident caught the viewers’ attention.

AOHF‘s response was to pull various clips from the same game, even the same quarter, only it was James instead of Doncic. That same kind of half-help that Miller called Doncic out for, James was seen replicating almost to a tee. The forward was seen in the help position, hand raised, never fully committing, and the difference, according to AOHF, was silence.

That’s where the argument escalates. The YouTuber argues that Doncic is becoming a target, someone whose mistakes are magnified, especially in a massive market like Los Angeles. He doesn’t call it coordinated, but heavily implies that newfound scrutiny is a result of hierarchy, stars aren’t treated equally, even when the film looks the same.

The Reggie Miller-Luka Doncic Clip That Made Fans Question What They Were Hearing

Miller’s commentary came during a stoppage of play that had little to do with Luka Doncic’s defense on the surface.

Duren drove into the paint during the second quarter, catching Jake LaRavia with an elbow, but Miller zeroed in on Doncic, who was complaining to the referees for a call instead of trying to help on defense. To Miller, that symbolized the Lakers’ struggles, calling it “the Lakers’ season right there.”

Top Stories

Marina Mabrey Is Raising Eyebrows Again With Fiery Unrivaled Confrontation

Kyrie Irving Breaks Silence After Injury Return Update Emerges

Is Anthony Davis Playing Tonight? Mavericks vs Kings Latest Injury Report (Jan 6)

Unrivaled Commissioner Makes His Opinion on Paige Bueckers Very Clear

Napheesa Collier Gives WNBA Fans Good Reason To Be Excited About Delayed CBA Conversations

The context complicates Miller’s argument. Duren was assessed a flagrant foul for the elbow, which is why Doncic was trying to appeal to referees, and it wasn’t a defensive breakdown in isolation. Still, what Miller wanted to see was some kind of resistance, a sign that Doncic was willing to disrupt the drive. That’s where the frustration is notable.

Doncic has always expressed visible annoyance with officials on the court, and at the same time, the game had been extremely physical. The Pistons were whistled for 26 fouls, including a first quarter that saw a hit to Marcus Smart’s face that was ruled a technical. To Miller, this didn’t seem to matter because the storyline was simply bad defense.