Is LeBron Making Luka Worse? Examining the Surprising Effects of Superstar Collaboration and the Unexpected Challenges Facing the Mavericks’ Young Phenom

Seven games into the Luka Dončić era in Los Angeles, the Lakers faithful are beginning to see signs of hope. After a rocky start, the team’s new superstar has helped steady the ship, and the Lakers are finding their rhythm. But for all the optimism, one thing is clear: Luka doesn’t quite look like Luka.

His first three games in purple and gold were, statistically, the worst three-game stretch of his career—even trailing his first three games as an NBA rookie. The explanations are plentiful and reasonable: Dončić is adjusting to a new system, playing alongside unfamiliar teammates, working back from the most serious injury of his career, and mentally recovering from what many call one of the most egregious cases of backstabbing in sports history.

Still, some fans have zeroed in on a fourth possible reason. They claim LeBron James is to blame for Luka’s struggles—not because of any animosity, but because LeBron simply doesn’t make his teammates better. In fact, these critics say, he never has. Luka is, they argue, next in line to have his career altered by LeBron’s heliocentric, self-serving play style.

It’s a claim that sounds outlandish. But as Dončić’s first stretch in LA has unfolded, the debate has only grown louder. Is LeBron a great teammate, or is he just a great player? It’s a question that has haunted the NBA for nearly two decades.

LeBron’s Legacy: Greatness and the Team Dynamic

To understand the debate, we have to go back. The year is 2007. Dirk Nowitzki is the MVP front-runner, Steve Jobs has just announced the first iPhone, and Kevin Durant is still at Texas. LeBron, meanwhile, has just dropped a 40-piece on the Pistons—a masterpiece that fueled both fans and critics.

Even then, the world was acclimated to the megastar LeBron was becoming. “This kid isn’t just good; he may be the best player in the world,” read a Slam Magazine article published in March 2007. But does he make his teammates better? The verdict at the time: it didn’t matter. His teammates “weren’t good enough to make a difference anyway,” and LeBron would need to drop 40 to keep his team alive in the playoffs—which is exactly what he did, dragging an underwhelming Cavs roster to the NBA Finals.

Eighteen years later, LeBron is still great. The question of whether he truly elevates those around him, however, remains unresolved. The latest evidence: a 25-year-old superstar, Luka Dončić, struggling to adapt to a system centered around a 40-year-old LeBron. Career lows almost across the board in his first stretch with the team. And while there are plenty of good explanations for Luka’s struggles, some suggest the real problem is LeBron.

The Data: Does LeBron Make His Teammates Better?

Over the course of his career, LeBron has played with 240 different players. Many of these were for just a handful of games. Of the 240, 110 played at least a full season with him. Out of those 110 past and present teammates, only 27 played their best season in the league while playing with LeBron—just 25%. The other 75% had their best season somewhere else.

But is this a fair metric? Many players joined LeBron long after their prime years, and weren’t nearly as good or productive as they were before. Looking at the most notable and longest-tenured teammates—Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Kevin Love, Anthony Davis—nearly all played better, or at least had better seasons, without LeBron. Most were in their prime when they became teammates.

Still, this doesn’t address how players progress or regress after teaming up with LeBron. What about the season before, the season with, and the season after LeBron?

The Numbers: Progression, Regression, and the LeBron Effect

Here’s every player who was a teammate of LeBron for at least a full season—59 players in total, ranging from Avery Bradley and Rashard Lewis to Anthony Davis and Chris Bosh.

Of the 52 players who played at least a full season in the league before becoming teammates with LeBron:

26 saw an increase in value and impact after teaming up with him.
24 had a decrease in value and impact.
2 stayed virtually the same.

In other words, about half played better, half played worse. On average, LeBron’s presence was essentially net neutral.

But here’s where it gets interesting. Of the 45 players who played seasons following their time with LeBron (after he left the team or they did), 34 saw a decrease in value and impact. On average, when players join LeBron, their value doesn’t change much. But once they’re no longer his teammate, their value tends to fall off drastically.

Why? It depends on the player and situation. Aging, system changes, or the massive “LeBron-sized void” left by his departure. But overall, having LeBron as a teammate produces an overwhelmingly positive result versus not having him as a teammate.

The Role Player Paradox: LeBron as Floor Raiser

The data tells us something else: generally speaking, LeBron doesn’t really make his teammates better, at least not in a way that’s statistically obvious. Historically, LeBron has made teams better, but not often do we see players—especially established stars—take leaps in their game as his teammate.

Often, his sheer dominance and the need for other players to fit around his play style are the driving force for his team’s success. This is revealed within the data, because the players who tend to see the most improvement as LeBron’s teammate are those who mesh well with his play style—three-and-D wings, off-ball scoring threats, and shooters who space the floor and benefit from LeBron’s playmaking.

J.R. Smith, Mo Williams, Channing Frye, Kyle Korver, Rashard Lewis, Shane Battier. Big men have also consistently benefited: Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Tristan Thompson, Drew Gooden, JaVale McGee, Ben Wallace, Timofey Mozgov.

The Superstar Dilemma: Ball Dominant Players Struggle

The players who tend to regress as LeBron’s teammate are usually high-usage, ball-dominant players pushed into a more passive role. Former first options who become second or even third options on offense, changing their touches, rhythm, and how they operate.

Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Kevin Love, Anthony Davis, Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook—and possibly, where we might eventually find Luka Dončić.

This is the answer to the age-old question: for most players, teaming up with LeBron can mean more open looks, easier assignments, and a role that suits their play style. With LeBron’s playmaking, scoring opportunities open up in places they never did before. Lobs, skip passes, rewards for cutting and moving off the ball, and the benefit of proximity to one of basketball’s sharpest minds.

For role players, glue guys, and spot-up shooters, LeBron does make them better and more valuable. He is the ultimate floor raiser: give him seven marginal talents, and he’ll find a way to turn them into a 50-win, title-contending team.

The Blessing and the Curse: The LeBron Offense

But this superpower is a blessing and a curse. The blessing: regardless of who LeBron is playing with, he is the offense. The curse: regardless of who LeBron is playing with, he’s still the offense.

For elite players who are used to running an offense tailored to them, playing with LeBron is a massive adjustment. The more your game depends on operating with the ball in your hands, the less likely playing with LeBron will elevate your game.

So it’s the best, high-usage, high-profile ball-dominant players who usually see a slight decline in production and impact. Chris Bosh and Kevin Love went from bona fide first options to hyper-efficient third options with lighter loads. Anthony Davis and Dwyane Wade went from offensive engines to pieces in what inevitably becomes LeBron’s offense.

The Analytics: ESPN’s Kevin Pelton and the “LeBron Effect”

In 2018, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton used the SCHOENE projection system to analyze whether LeBron made his teammates better. After analyzing 25 teammates from 2014 to 2018, only nine met or exceeded their projected impact after teaming up with LeBron.

Pelton’s conclusion: “Any team with James must be careful not to invest too many resources on players who are best with the ball in their hands. Instead, the focus should be finding role players whose games will mesh well with LeBron’s.”

Teaming up with LeBron can be incompatible for some. A lighter offensive burden isn’t necessarily regression—in fact, sacrificing box score numbers and usage is often necessary to win.

Sacrifice for Greatness: The Human Side of the LeBron Partnership

For every player forced to take a back seat for LeBron and the team, there’s another who’s found success and improvement as his teammate. LeBron may or may not make you a better player, but he has perpetually made teams better. It’s a trade-off most players are ready to make to win.

Dwyane Wade said, “LeBron is the best teammate you could ever have.” Chris Bosh called playing with LeBron “a dream” and said “the game was easy with him.” Kevin Love: “LeBron made the game easier for all of us.” Anthony Davis: “LeBron is the best leader I’ve ever played with. He makes everyone better.”

This is the resounding sentiment of most players who’ve played with LeBron: he is the best player in the world, and an even better teammate. “LeBron put me in a position to succeed. He made the game easier for all of us.”

The numbers and data may get us closer to an objective truth, but personal testimonies from teammates speak louder.

Luka and LeBron: The Road Ahead

All of this gives us a glimpse at where the Dončić–LeBron duo may end up, and the sacrifices necessary to tap into their full potential as teammates. For two decades, LeBron has been the centerpiece to every roster he’s been on. 240 teammates over 22 years, all fitting around him.

But at age 40, it might be time to pass the torch to a player ready to fill a role only LeBron once could. Coach LeBron and Luka may be able to coexist without compromising their games, but if history has taught us anything, greatness requires recalibration—a sacrifice many great players have made for LeBron, and one he may soon have to make for his teammate.

The Lakers’ Future: A Test of Adaptation and Greatness

The Lakers’ experiment is only beginning. Will Luka adapt to LeBron’s system, or will LeBron cede control to a new superstar? Can two generational talents coexist without diminishing each other’s brilliance?

The answer will shape the future of the Lakers, and perhaps the NBA itself. In a league where teamwork, sacrifice, and adaptation are as vital as talent, the Dončić–LeBron partnership is a test of what it means to be great—not just as individuals, but as teammates.

Have thoughts on the Luka–LeBron partnership? Share your views in the comments or subscribe to our newsletter for more in-depth coverage of the NBA’s most dramatic storylines.