Charles Barkley thinks Lakers may be as good as Luka Doncic’s 2024 Mavericks

September 9, 2026

Charles Barkley likes what the Lakers have put around Luka Doncic. Maybe more than most.

Appearing on Bill Simmons’ podcast, Barkley suggested the new-look Lakers could be every bit as good as the Mavericks team Doncic carried to the 2024 NBA Finals.

“I really want to see the Lakers do well,” Barkley said, via Corey Hansford of Lakers Nation. “First of all, I’m a big Luka fan, a big Austin Reaves fan. I think they’re gonna be better than people realize.”

Then came the comparison.

“Luka and Kyrie took the Mavs to the Finals, come on, man,” Barkley said. “This team is probably better; this team is probably just as good as that team.”

That’s certainly a healthy endorsement. Doncic now has Reaves alongside him as the Lakers’ secondary creator, with L.A. also adding Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, Matisse Thybulle and others during an offseason that officially moved the franchise into its post-LeBron James era.

Whether that group is actually better than the 2023-24 Mavericks is debatable. Kyrie Irving was still Kyrie Irving, and Dallas received major contributions from P.J. Washington, Derrick Jones Jr., Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II during its Finals run.

But Barkley’s larger point is probably the interesting one. The Lakers may have more around Doncic than they’re being given credit for.

They’re apparently not finished looking, either. Los Angeles has continued to explore potential upgrades on the wing before the season. With Doncic, that’s generally a pretty good place to start.