NBA Exec Says Luka Doncic Can Reach 'Full Potential' with Lakers After LeBron James' Exit for 76ers

Being a 27-year-old with six top-eight MVP finishes on your resume wouldn't seem to leave a lot of room for growth, but at least one NBA executive believes Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić is poised to have the best season of his career.

Per ESPN's Ben Golliver, the executive explained Dončić will reach his "full potential" now that James is no longer with the Lakers and expectations for the club have increased after their offseason additions.

"With LeBron [James] gone, the weight and expectations of the [Los Angeles] Lakers will push Luka to reach his full potential," the exec said. "He will take the MVP trophy home to Slovenia next summer."

Dončić is coming off a season in which he led the NBA in scoring average (33.5 points per game) and ranked third in assists (8.3). The Lakers won 53 games, their most in a season since 2010-11, and he finished fourth in MVP voting.

The argument for a fully-unlocked Dončić primarily stems from Walker Kessler's presence. Dončić reportedly made it known to Los Angeles' front office that Kessler was someone he wanted to play alongside.

Los Angeles paid a steep price to get Kessler in a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz in which it gave up unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033 and first-round pick swaps in 2028 and 2030. Kessler also signed a four-year, $130 million contract with the Lakers.

The best season of Dončić's career thus far came in 2023-24 when the Dallas Mavericks gave him two rim-running centers by drafting Dereck Lively II and trading for Daniel Gafford midway through the year.

Kessler can fill that role for the Lakers and give them a defensive stopper in the paint that has been missing since Anthony Davis was traded.

There's no doubt Dončić is going to put up huge numbers because he has done that every year of his career, but his chemistry with new additions like Kessler and Quentin Grimes will determine if he hits the ceiling this executive expects from him.