Robert Horry did not bother softening his message when the conversation turned to Luka Doncic. While speaking after the Los Angeles Lakers 101-105 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Horry zeroed in on what he sees as the most frustrating habit in Luka’s game. Not his shot selection. Not his defense. The foul baiting. In Horry’s view, it is unnecessary for a player this gifted, and it often works against him.
“Going back to the earlier clip where you saw Luka making those shots. All those shots he took were good shots. I would love to see the shots that he missed. Because one of the things that upsets me about Luka is his game is predicated on getting fouls called.”
“And the refs don’t give him a call, he starts hunting even more to try to prove the refs wrong. You’re too good of a basketball player to hunt for fouls. Just take the shot. You take the shot, you go nine times out of ten, make the shot. And I would love to say, okay, let me look at these shots that he missed. Were they hunting shots or did he just miss shots?”
The point he kept circling back to was simple. Luka does not need help from the whistle. When he is playing within himself, rising into pull-ups, backing defenders down, or creating space with his footwork, there are very few players in the league who can slow him down. Horry’s issue is what happens when those early calls do not come. Instead of trusting the shot or the read, Luka starts chasing contact. That shift pulls him out of rhythm and drags the offense with him.
The numbers explain why this conversation exists in the first place. Doncic leads the league in free-throw attempts at 12.0 per game, making just 9.4 per game, which translates to a free-throw percentage of 78.4%. Drawing fouls has always been baked into his scoring profile. The problem is not the free throws themselves.
It is the response when officials do not reward the contact. On those nights, Luka’s body language changes. He lingers to argue calls, jogs back on defense, and forces tougher attempts, almost as if he is trying to send a message rather than make the right play.
That dynamic showed up again in the Lakers’ tight to the Bucks. Luka finished with 24 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, yet he shot 8-25 from the field and went 4-8 from the free throw line. Even then, he still bent the defense and created opportunities for others. That is exactly why Horry believes the adjustment is not about shooting more, but about leaning into playmaking when the shot is off.
“Sometimes I think you need to say, ‘Hey Luka, you ain’t shooting the ball that well tonight, but you a heck of a passer, let’s get some of your other guys involved.’”
That part of the critique hits deeper than it sounds. Doncic is one of the best passers in the sport. He manipulates defenses with patience, timing, and vision. When he leans into that side of his game, the floor opens up, teammates stay active, and the defense has to guard movement instead of standing around watching isolations. When he locks into foul hunting, possessions slow down, spacing shrinks, and transition defense suffers.
This is not about tearing Luka down. If anything, it comes from respect. Horry’s frustration reads like someone watching a generational talent occasionally get in his own way. Doncic does not need validation from referees to control games. He already dictates tempo, commands defensive attention, and produces at an MVP level.
The next step is emotional discipline. Accepting missed calls, sprinting back on defense, and trusting the pass when shots are not falling would raise both his efficiency and his leadership. Luka is already one of the league’s elite players. Cleaning up this part of his game is how he becomes truly unstoppable, whistle or no whistle.
