As someone who has been on the same boat as Luka Doncic in terms of his weight loss journey, former NBA player Charles Barkley believes that the Slovenian superstar is going to be an improved version of himself this coming season.
That’s why Barkley thinks the Los Angeles Lakers will have a better season but that doesn’t mean they’re going to win the West. As much as Barkley approves of the Lakers’ moves this summer, he thinks there are three teams that are still better than them in their conference.
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“Obviously, if you got Luka and LeBron, you’re going to be competitive, but I don’t think it’s earth-shattering like the Lakers are going to win the West. Like I said, OKC is not going anywhere. I think if you had to rank them in order, I’d go OKC, Rockets, Denver,” said Barkley in his latest appearance on “The Bill Simmons Podcast.”
The Lakers have an X-factor
Barkley stated that Doncic being in shape puts the purple and gold on another level compared to last season because he’s going to be more available and dangerous on the court. On top of that, the former Dallas Mavericks superstar is going to treat this year as some sort of revenge campaign after being blindsided and traded by Nico Harrison last February.
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But besides Doncic, Barkley also thinks the Lakers have an X-factor in the arrival of Deandre Ayton, who is not only playing to revive his career in the league but in the best possible situation he’s ever found himself in.
“You know what’s going to be different? He’s going to be a free agent. Those are the most dangerous guys,” Barkley said.
“So, I think to piggyback on your point, that’s what’s going to make the Lakers interesting because Ayton gotta ball out this year because if he doesn’t play well, he won’t get a big deal. If he doesn’t ball out playing with LeBron or Luka, he ain’t ever going to ball out. If you talk about the perfect situation, he’s going to be so dangerous this year because he’s going to be a free agent,” added Barkley.
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Ayton, who signed a two-year deal with the Lakers via the buyout market, but has a player option for the second season, is coming off a down year with the Portland Trail Blazers, where he averaged 14.4 points and 10.2 rebounds in just 40 games played.
Much of Ayton’s struggles last year, according to him, were due to the situation he was in with the Blazers.
While there’s reasonable concern as to whether or not Ayton can turn his career trajectory around on the Lakers, Barkley believes he’ll be more motivated, which will lead to the team’s success.
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“That used to be a thing back in my day. One of the reasons why the NBA started cutting salaries and short-term deals was because there were some guys who played like crap for two or three years and then all of a sudden became like Bill Russell their last year,” said Barkley.
The Lakers can still improve
Barkley brings up a fair point about how the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets have a case on being better than the Lakers. After all, OKC are the defending champions while the other two made pivotal moves this summer that improved their team’s chances, at least on paper.
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The Lakers, meanwhile, still have a couple of roster holes, such as their wing depth and whether or not they can get healthy seasons out of Ayton, Marcus Smart and even LeBron James who is turning 41 in December.
However, the good news for Rob Pelinka and the team is that they have enough time and assets to improve their roster moving forward.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 3, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.