“The Lakers don’t have a chance to win a championship this year.” This is not from some disgruntled fan on X. It comes straight from Charles Barkley. Now, before you go off on the man, why don’t we take a moment to understand the full picture? 

Luka Doncic in a Lakers jersey still feels like a fever dream for some fans. The trade sent shockwaves across the league, sparking immediate hype about L.A.’s title chances. But if you ask Chuck, that hype train needs to pump the brakes.

In the latest segment of Inside the NBA, Charles Barkley didn’t hesitate to share his blunt take on the Lakers’ future. He believes that while the Mavs do have a chance at the Larry O’Brien, the Purple & Gold hasn’t reached that point just yet.

 “I don’t think the Lakers are better than the Mavs. I’m not sure if they’re better than Memphis. I’m not sure if they’re better than the Rockets,” the veteran analyst declared with nary a doubt in his voice.  

His argument wasn’t just about talent—it was about how these $7.9 billion rivals are building on something more cohesive. The Grizzlies, valued at $4.9 billion, have become one of the NBA’s most balanced teams, while the $3 billion Rockets are finally starting to capitalize on their young core.

But Barkley‘s doubt about the Lakers goes beyond competition.

His biggest concern? Luka Doncic and LeBron James sharing the ball.

“I think they’re going to have a hard time playing together because both of them are really ball-dominant. LeBron can kind of get away with that. Luka has never played, never played, without the ball. He’s going to probably have the ball less than than he’s ever had in his life! … You know, he’s going to have to learn to play the wing some,” Charles warned.  

Still, it’s not just Sir Charles’ gut feeling. History and numbers back up his concerns. Ball-dominant duos have struggled before, and it’s not a stretch to wonder if a similar situation can happen here.

Charles Barkley might be onto something: Can LeBron and Doncic co-exist?

History has a way of reminding us that throwing two ball-dominant stars together doesn’t always end in champagne showers. Remember the Westbrook-Harden experiment in Houston? Two MVPs, one basketball. Clunky offense, awkward fit, and an early playoff exit. Even LeBron had his fair share of growing pains when he first teamed up with Dwyane Wade in Miami. It wasn’t until Wade took a step back—literally and figuratively—that things started to click.

Now we’ve got Luka Doncic and LeBron James, two basketball masterminds cut from the same playmaking cloth. Luka lives with the ball in his hands. LeBron’s built his career by being the guy making all the decisions. Their usage rates tell the story: Luka’s sitting at 31.9% (9th in the league), while LeBron isn’t far behind at 29.4% (22nd) (as of now per nbastats.com). That’s a lot of time running the show for two guys sharing the same floor.

Then there’s the touches and time of possession. Last season, Luka was touching the ball 91.8 times per game and holding it for a whopping 8.3 minutes—basically running the Mavericks’ offense like a one-man orchestra. This season, those numbers have dropped a bit—80.4 touches and 6.3 minutes—but guess whose touches have gone up? LeBron’s at 85.1 touches and 5.7 minutes of possession per game (at the time of writing), which means they’re still figuring out who gets to call the shots.

So, can they make it work? Sure. But it won’t happen overnight. “Listen, you just can’t put great players together and think it’s going to work,” Barkley reminds us.

Maybe Luka becomes more comfortable off the ball, or maybe LeBron takes a step back and plays the role of part-time facilitator, part-time sniper. Either way, the clock’s ticking, and the margin for error is razor-thin.

So, what do you think now that you have the full picture?