The Los Angeles Lakers have steadied the ship in recent games and are currently on a three-game winning run that started against the Golden State Warriors at the start of the month. In the same game however, Luka Doncic and JJ Redick appeared to get into an argument on the sidelines, which ended when Jarred Vanderbilt smartly stepped in even as Doncic stood up and looked intent on continuing the argument when Redick had walked away.

That particular incident, despite being downplayed by the head coach himself, has resulted in criticism from Miami Heat legend and three-time champion Udonis Haslem, who believes Doncic needs to evolve.

“I have no issue with tempers flaring in the middle of the game but as long as Luka says what he has to say when JJ is standing there. It looks worse when JJ is walking away and you jump up like you got something to say. Whatever you need to say, have the communication man-to-man. Nothing gets accomplished when you talking to your teammate or talking with your head down and not to the person you need to speak to,” he said per a clip on X by ClutchPoints.

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Redick himself had downplayed the incident, claiming that the argument felt ‘very normal’ and that he shared a great relationship with Doncic, who has continued his impressive surge in the games since. However, Haslem also believes that the Slovenian needs to focus his energy on his game instead of complaining to the referees too much.

“The next step of the evolution of Luka Doncic, stop whining. Stop complaining to the refs. You are not gonna beg your way to a title, you're not gonna cry your way to a championship. As great as a player you are, you are taking away from your game when you are focusing so much energy and efforts complaining to the refs,” Haslem said.

He went on to compare the situation to a younger Jayson Tatum, claiming that even the Celtics' talisman had a similar habit of complaining to the referees a little too much. That habit led Haslem to tell his teammates that ‘they were in his head,’ claiming that when it came to players of Tatum’s or Doncic’s calibre, even a period of 3-4 minutes where they focused on external factors was “all the advantage” the opposition sometimes needed.

Hence, while Haslem is well aware of the offensive juggernaut that Doncic is, he believes the Lakers superstar may be better served focusing more on his own game.