Lakers Legend James Worthy Reveals What Luka Doncic Needs Most
The Los Angeles Lakers have their work cut out for them heading into the NBA offseason, with the storied franchise needing to figure out a way to build around superstar guard Luka Doncic in order to compete with Western Conference heavyweights like Victor Wembanyama's San Antonio Spurs and the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-led Oklahoma City Thunder.
That will be no easy task, but under Mark Walter's new ownership, the franchise might be willing to take more risks and spend more money than it usually does during the summer.
With the offseason underway for Los Angeles, Lakers legend James Worthy spoke with Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports and shared his thoughts on what the team should prioritize when building a roster around Doncic moving forward.
James Worthy: Prioritize Shooters & Defensive-Minded Big Around Luka Doncic
James Worthy breaks down to @KevinOConnor on how the Lakers should build around Luka Doncic
- Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 3, 2026
(via The Kevin O'Connor Show) pic.twitter.com/M2gezHuaW3
"Shooters, particularly those who can hit the three consistently," Worthy said. "Guys who can defend and not necessarily hide him in the defense, but take some pressure off of him. They need a big who can protect the paint and also receive lobs and be a force defensively. They need players that surround him who can also create, they need an Austin Reaves. LeBron [James] was able to do it at 41 and take some pressure off of Luka when they started to blitz him."
Even though the Lakers will be armed with a considerable amount of cap space heading into NBA free agency this summer (July 1), the options for roster upgrades are thin, to say the least.
However, the team seems intent on being aggressive in their efforts to improve the roster, whether it's with trades, as they are rumored to have interest in trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo or with restricted free agents like Peyton Watson, Jalen Duren and Walker Kessler.
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This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 11:39 AM.