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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 12: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts to a foul call during the second half of a game against the Chicago Bulls at Crypto.com Arena on March 12, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Former NBA guard Eddie Johnson called out Luka Doncic for taking too many “shortcuts” out of laziness to hurt his chances of being an all-time great. Doncic has been called out for his various flaws over the past season after getting traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers. This season saw Luka working to get in the best condition of his career, but injuries have once again limited his season.

Johnson shared the following insight on what he believes holds Doncic back from reaching his full potential as an MVP:

“Luka Doncic is the most unguardable player in the NBA. The NBA has been waiting for him to ascend to his rightful place as an MVP and champion. Both scenarios have been hard to come by and all Luka needs to do is look in the mirror. In my opinion, he runs a 24-mile marathon instead of 26.2 miles.

Luka is so talented that he believes in shortcuts on the floor. That is not the personality for all-time greats. Gaining weight in-season, taking off defensive plays, arguing with officials and taking bad shots because you are tired. They all add up to failure and are the difference in winning what he needs, and that’s an MVP and a championship.”

Johnson praised Luka for being the toughest player in the entire league to guard. However, the criticism came from Johnson claiming that Doncic takes short cuts instead of doing the work to make up the difference with the real MVP candidates.

Why Eddie Johnson’s Luka Criticism Matters

Luka is already considered one of the greatest players in NBA history yet to win an MVP Award. Jerry West, Chris Paul, Kawhi Leonard, and Dwyane Wade are some of the names in that conversation of the best players never getting the most MVP votes.

Doncic already entering that conversation shows that his talent level should draw him closer to names like Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in MVP contention every year. Something causes him to fall short of reaching that true contention for the top spot.

Johnson believes that smaller things, like arguing with the officials and taking off plays on defense, are the reasons that he’s not the best in the league. Luka improving these issues could lead him to his first MVP and a better chance at an NBA Championship.

Why Luka Doncic Has Already Improved Issues

This season featured Doncic reaching new heights in his NBA career as the face of the Lakers. Some of the individual performances stepping up to lead his team made Luka get some MVP support.

Doncic has developed strong chemistry with Austin Reaves and LeBron James to make next season create even higher expectations. Better conditioning has already made a difference to see Luka in good shape to close out games feeling fresher.

Less arguing with the referees and taking a little more accountability is what Johnson wants to see. Doncic could improve his chances at reaching greater heights by fixing these problems. Leading by example is a trait that NBA superstars must set for their team.