On Friday, the Los Angeles Lakers and Luka Doncic blew a 25-point lead. In fact, Stephen Curry’s handles left Doncic on the floor in a notable crossover. But even before that loss, former champion Channing Frye made a scathing assessment of Luka’s playstyle. While praising Doncic as an all-time talent, Frye argued his usage-rate-heavy playstyle mirrors James Harden’s greatness individually but not his championship-winning impact.
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“I love Luka,” Frye said on the latest episode of Channing’s Mailbag on the Road Trippin Show.”I just don’t think the way he plays basketball is going to win a championship. That’s it. I think Luka is a lot like James Harden. I think both of those guys games are amazing, but their usage rate is not equating to championships. Who plays like that? Who’s played like that and shown you that they can win a championship?
“It’s not sustainable. The usage rate is too much. What’s going to happen? Like, Luka’s great. He’s not winning you a championship like that. ‘Cause guess what? The other best team has five guys that is going to average 15 to 20 points. Luka Doncic has to feed his whole team other than Austin Reaves. That’s a lot. That’s a lot of pressure on one person. Definitely not a hater. He’s great. All-time great.”
Frye’s comments back a point, as wider stats around the league suggest players with higher usage rates in a season rarely win a championship that same year. Russell Westbrook’s 41.65% in 2016-17 and 38.37% in the 2014-15 season. Then James Harden’s 40.47% in 2018-19, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 38.77% during the 2022-23 season, and Kobe Bryant’s 38.74% in 2005-06 remain relevant examples. Luka Doncic’s own stats align with Frye’s assessment.
Last season (2025-26), the Slovenian had a usage rate of approximately 38%, and the Lakers crashed out in the second round. He missed significant time due to injury in the postseason, and his presence may not have altered the outcome against the Thunder. The only time Luka Doncic reached the NBA Finals, his usage rate was considerably lower, at 35.9%. Also, it was the first full season alongside Kyrie Irving.
As Frye pointed out, Luka Doncic will need help to reduce his burden. And the lack of help was visible during the 112-95 loss to the Warriors. The Slovenian finished with 37 points, seven rebounds, and five assists and still faced the defeat. The 17-point margin marked a dominant performance by Golden State, exposing the Lakers’ bench depth issues.
In fact, Stephen Curry’s team-high 31 points was not the headline, but him dropping Luka Doncic on the hardwood surely became the news. Apart from that, the Lakers’ bench was particularly disappointing, as the Warriors’ bench outscored them 50-7. Austin Reaves scored 21 points, four rebounds, and five assists, but his eight turnovers did not do any favors for his team.
Any championship unit needs depth and key players from the rotation to keep firing. On Friday, that was not the case, as Luka Doncic’s contributions were not enough.