Paul Pierce, an NBA Hall of Famer, has zero faith in the Los Angeles Lakers—or their marquee addition, Luka Doncic—reaching anything beyond regular season flash.
On the inaugural “No Fouls Given” podcast with Danny Green and Big Wos, Pierce shredded the franchise’s familiar script of inflated expectations and postseason collapse.
“This is gonna be the same story every year with the Lakers,” Pierce said. “It’s the hype train. They gonna get smacked up. I’m tired of this rerun they play every year.”
He saved special scorn for Doncic, currently sidelined by finger and leg ailments. Pierce sees nothing new in the Slovenian’s stat-stuffing act.
“Y’all gotta stop. This is the same Luka: 30, 9 and 9, no defense.”
Los Angeles opened the year with championship buzz, quickly muted by injuries to LeBron James and Doncic. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported coach JJ Redick expects James back near mid-November from sciatica, while Doncic should suit up “within the next couple of games.”
The team has stayed afloat thanks to Austin Reaves, who detonated for 51 points, 11 boards, and nine dimes in a win over Sacramento. Pierce, though, refuses to project that spark into May or June.
“They not gonna be nobody,” Pierce said. “They’re the same Lakers rerun every year.”
Danny Green, who hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy with L.A. in 2020, offered a tempered counterweight, praising the squad’s firepower.
“They’re very offensively explosive,” Green said. “I’m not saying they’re gonna win it this year, but I think they’re gonna be better than last year.”
Pierce wasn’t having it. He contrasted the Lakers’ aging core with the league’s fleet-footed contenders, insisting the legs simply aren’t there for a grueling playoff grind.
“They’re not young enough or athletic enough for Houston,” Pierce said.
Doncic entered his first true Lakers season looking chiseled after a dramatic weight cut that earned him Men’s Health cover status. The transformation powered Slovenia through EuroBasket and fueled a blistering Lakers start—46.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 8.5 assists over two games—before injury struck.
