One of the best players in the world today is Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers. He is entering his first full season in Hollywood, motivated and ready to take over the NBA. His blueprint of size and skill was recently compared to an up-and-coming star.
After ESPN released its annual Top 100 players list for the upcoming season, several of their top analysts answered questions. One of the questions was which player will be in the Top 10 for next season. Jorge Sedano named Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons, who has a similar build to Doncic.
Sedano likes Cunningham’s combination of size and skill while also praising his defensive capabilities. The 24-year-old is coming off his first All-Star season, leading the Pistons to the playoffs.
“Cade Cunningham (No. 12) is an absolute star, and the leaps he continues to make will catapult him into the upper levels of superstardom. His combination of size and skill, which are reminiscent of Doncic in a lot of ways, particularly the way he can see over the defenses, is the reason the Pistons are the team to watch in the Eastern Conference. Cunningham’s pick-and-roll game is already elite, and there’s growth potential to be a three-level scorer. Also, his wingspan and defensive cunning allow him to guard multiple positions,” Sedano wrote on September 24.
Doncic is a better scorer, but Cunningham has improved every season. He’ll be motivated to lead the Pistons back to the playoffs, with the Eastern Conference being wide open.
Luka Doncic Ranked 3rd by ESPN
Despite questions about his conditioning after the Los Angeles Lakers’ early playoff exit, Luka Doncic seemed motivated to prove his doubters wrong. Doncic looked mightily impressive at the 2025 EuroBasket, leading Slovenia to the quarterfinals. He looked in better shape and was even playing good defense during the tournament.
ESPN ranked him third in this year’s Top 100 players, just behind Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He has a revamped roster in his first full season with the Lakers. The franchise added players such as Marcus Smart, Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia.
The Lakers also signed Doncic to a three-year, $165 million extension, showing him that he’s the face of the franchise moving forward. General manager Rob Pelinka also announced on September 25 that coach JJ Redick was signed to an extension, adding years to the four-year, $32 million deal he signed last season.
‘Skinny’ Luka Doncic is Here to Stay
After fans saw Luka Doncic’s body transformation this offseason, some dubbed him “Skinny Luka” because of how different he looked. Coach JJ Redick was asked by Rachel Nichols during their press conference about the changes the Slovenian superstar has made this past summer.
Redick shared that “Skinny Luka” is here to stay, reiterating that Doncic has committed himself to being better at taking care of his body moving forward.
“This is his life now, this is his routine, this is just a daily commitment to the new standard that he’s set for himself. His excitement level, not just in what he hopes this season will be, but his excitement level in embracing this new standard, was very high,” Redick said.
The Lakers are set to have their media day on September 29, followed by the opening of training camp. They have six preseason games, with the first one scheduled for October 3 against the Phoenix Suns at Acrisure Arena in Riverside County, California.
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