The Los Angeles Lakers have been steadying the ship in recent games and are currently riding a three-game winning streak that started against the Golden State Warriors at the beginning of the month. However, in the same game, Luka Doncic and JJ Redick got into an argument on the sideline, which ended when Jared Vanderbilt smartly stepped in while Doncic stood up and appeared intent on continuing the argument after Redick left.
That particular incident, despite being played down by the head coach, drew criticism from Miami Heat veteran and three-time champion Udonis Haslem, who believes Doncic needs to develop.
"The next step in Luka Doncic's development, stop whining. Stop complaining to the refs. You're not going to beg your way to a title, you're not going to cry your way to a championship."
Udonis Haslem's message for Lakers star
(via @NBAonPrime)pic.twitter.com/nFSe4XkhzA
- ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 6 March 2026
"I don't have a problem with temper tantrums in the middle of the game, but JJ is standing there waiting until Luka says what he needs to say. It feels worse when JJ is walking away and you jump up like you have to say something. Whatever you have to say, the communication has to be man-to-man. When you talk to your teammates or talk with your head down, not at the person you have to talk to." "It needs to be done," he said, according to a clip on X by ClutchPoints.
Redick himself played down the incident, claiming that the argument was 'very normal' and that he had a great relationship with Doncic, who has continued his impressive run of games since then. However, Haslem also believes that the Slovenian needs to focus his energy on his own game rather than complaining too much to the referee.
"Next step in Luka Doncic's development, stop whining. Stop complaining to the refs. You wouldn't be begging for a title for yourself, you wouldn't be crying for yourself for a championship. You're great as a player, when you're focusing so much energy and efforts on complaining to the refs, you're taking away from your game," Haslem said.
He compared the situation to a young Jayson Tatum, claiming that the Celtics' talisman had a similar habit of complaining to referees too much. That habit led Haslem to tell his teammates that 'they were on his mind,' claiming that when it came to players of Tatum or Doncic's caliber, even a 3-4 minute period where they focused on outside factors was "all the leverage" the opposition sometimes needed.
So, while Haslem is well aware of Doncic's offensive juggernaut, he believes it may be better for the Lakers superstar to focus more on his game.
