Narratives can shift fairly quickly in the NBA, and sometimes, it can even feel absurd. Just a month ago, the Lakers were labeled as a lost ship, as they struggled with inconsistency and were unbale to figure things out. Nobody truly bought into it despite the combination of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James. Now, they’re suddenly the darlings of the media again.
Advertisement
The Lakers have won nine in a row and look like one of the more dominant teams in the Western Conference. James has shifted into a terrific supporting role behind Reaves and Doncic. The Don in particular has been on a tear. In his last six games he’s dropped 51, 30, 36, 40, 60, and 33. He is the hottest player in the league right now.
Charles Barkley recognizes the Lakers’ ascension. The NBA legend was a guest on Jim Rome to speak about Doncic’s exceptional play over the last ten games and in doing so—in a way that only Chuck can—he criticized the NBA media landscape for changing their tune on Doncic every so often.
“Three months ago it was the greatest trade in sports history. Two weeks ago, ‘Luka was a bum.’ It’s almost comical when you wake up in the morning and watch TV,” chirped the Hall of Famer. “Two weeks ago Nico was right, the Lakers sting, blah blah blah. Two weeks later, they’re playing great.”
“Luka’s been playing great, he’s been unbelievable. Austin has played great, and LeBron is probably the best third wheel in NBA history.”
Charles Barkley on the Lakers’ 9-game win streak. pic.twitter.com/Zlf3yQ7iwL
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) March 23, 2026
Chuck can often overembellish on topics, but he’s right on the money here. Reputed media networks have gone from providing reliable sports coverage to drama seeking soap opera. If a player has a bad game, a bad week, the roof is falling in. “Experts” who have never picked up a basketball in their life give their hot takes on the Lakers regularly, and nine times out of 10, they are wrong.
Barkley could fall into that category. And despite him generally disliking the Lakers, he pays credit where it’s due, especially when it comes to Doncic. “Luka is playing great. He’s been unbelievable. Austin has played great and LeBron is probably the best third wheel in NBA history.”
That said, the Suns legend is still not convinced they can beat the elites in the West. “I don’t think they can beat OKC. I don’t think they can beat Denver. I don’t think they can beat the Spurs. I think the Rockets and Minnesota would be interesting series, but they’re playing great.”
Those are monstrous units, but sleeping on the Purple and Gold right now would be a bad idea.
Doncic has been untouchable as a scorer lately. He’s shooting with confidence. He’s even getting back on defense. Whether that’s because of animosity from his relationship coming to an end or because he’s just inspired, it doesn’t matter. The Lakers are a problem. And as Chuck mentioned, the media needs to start showing love to the league’s greatest franchise.
