The Los Angeles Lakers have some of the biggest names in the NBA, but their best player is Luka Doncic. He is one of the league’s top stars, as evidenced by his numbers across the board. Unfortunately, one part of his game that irks a lot of people is his struggles with coping with referee calls.
For a large chunk of games, Doncic is often talking to the referees. Sometimes, he even misses defensive assignments because he is too busy complaining. That has not been a good look for the Slovenian superstar because people expect him to be the best player on the floor.
Doncic gets backlash for constant complaining to referees
As one of the league’s top stars, some people find it difficult to watch Doncic at times. He is undoubtedly one of the league’s best players. However, he is not getting much fanfare if he keeps complaining after every play.
That is not a good look for his game because it looks like he is looking to be bailed out by the referees in every play. That should not be a huge problem for any player, but Doncic continues to clash with the officials even when people are pointing it out.
MORE: Luka Doncic slapped with a $50K fine after gesturing at the referees
Moving forward, his recent $50,000 fine could be the catalyst for him to stop complaining to the officials. Unfortunately, that is unlikely because of his history as a superstar player. Head coach JJ Redick has probably spoken to him about it, but it appears that Doncic will continue to clash with the officials.
Former NBA champion and Finals MVP Paul Pierce chipped in with his opinion about Doncic’s constant complaints.
“This is the thing about Luka, he’s developed a relationship with the refs sort of like certain players around the league that you don’t have. Sometimes you get to the no tolerance, like Draymond. It’s just like you know the refs are tired of Luka Doncic because it’s like after every play there’s some type of gesture,” Pierce said on the No Fouls Given show.
Reputation matters in the NBA, especially when it’s about players and officials. This was present during Chris Paul’s career, who had a notorious dynamic with veteran referee Scott Foster. In the long run, Doncic might be better off staying quiet at times, so the officiating won’t affect his game.
