Luka Dončić led the NBA in usage rate (38.1%) and free-throw attempts (645) in 2025-26

LOS ANGELES — Oct. 15, 2026 — Luka Dončić did not just lead the NBA in scoring in 2025-26. He also sat alone atop Basketball-Reference’s usage-rate and free-throw-attempts boards, finishing at 38.1 percent usage and 645 free-throw attempts in 64 games for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Those two crowns sit next to his scoring title (33.5 points per game, 2,143 points). Together they describe the same season: almost four of every 10 Lakers possessions ran through Dončić when he was on the floor, and defenses fouled him enough to put him at the line more than anybody else.

Usage rate: 38.1 percent, seventh all-time

Basketball-Reference’s 2025-26 advanced leaderboard lists Dončić first in usage percentage at 38.1. That is the share of team possessions a player uses via field-goal attempts, free-throw attempts and turnovers while he is on the court.

The nearest names on that season board were well back. Jaylen Brown’s 36.2 percent was the second-highest single-season mark among 2025-26 players on Basketball-Reference’s all-time usage list. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished around 33.4 percent in Oklahoma City’s title run.

Historically, Dončić’s 38.11 percent ranks seventh on Basketball-Reference’s single-season usage chart, behind only Russell Westbrook’s 41.65 (2016-17), James Harden’s 40.47 (2018-19), Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 38.77 (2022-23), Kobe Bryant’s 38.74 (2005-06), Westbrook’s 38.37 (2014-15) and Michael Jordan’s 38.29 (1986-87). It is also the highest of Dončić’s own career seasons, ahead of his 37.64 percent in 2022-23.

Free-throw attempts: 645, and 10.1 per game

Dončić also led the league in free-throw attempts with 645, ahead of Gilgeous-Alexander (614), Deni Avdija (610), Paolo Banchero (590) and Brown (536), per Basketball-Reference’s 2025-26 leaders page. He made 503 of them for a .780 free-throw percentage.

On a per-game basis he was first again at 10.1 free-throw attempts, matching his per-36 rate. His free-throw rate (free-throw attempts divided by field-goal attempts) was .443 — nearly one free-throw try for every two field-goal tries.

• Free-throw attempts, 2025-26: Dončić 645, Gilgeous-Alexander 614, Avdija 610, Banchero 590, Brown 536
• Free throws made: 503 of 645 (.780)
• Free-throw attempts per game: 10.1 (league lead)
• Field-goal attempts: 1,457 (fourth behind Brown’s 1,543, Tyrese Maxey’s 1,501 and Jalen Brunson’s 1,475)

What 64 games of that usage looked like

Dončić started all 64 of his games and averaged 35.8 minutes. The counting line next to the advanced rates: 33.5 points, 8.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 4.0 turnovers. He shot .476 from the field, .366 from three (254 of 694) and posted a .616 true-shooting percentage.

His assist rate was 40.5 percent. He earned 9.5 win shares (6.6 offensive), a 27.9 player efficiency rating, a 9.3 box plus/minus and 6.6 value over replacement player. Voters put him fourth in MVP balloting, eighth in Clutch Player of the Year voting, and on the All-NBA First Team. He also made the All-Star Game.

The volume came with a cost in availability: 64 games is a full season short of 82, and Gilgeous-Alexander (68 games) and Nikola Jokić (65) still piled up more win shares and a higher BPM. The usage and free-throw boards, though, belonged to Dončić alone.

Looking ahead to 2026-27

Los Angeles is still building around that same workload. The Lakers’ preseason continues with the final exhibition slate this weekend, and the regular season opens later in October. Whether Dončić can hold a 38-percent usage rate for another year is an open question — only six seasons in league history have finished higher — but the 2025-26 record is already on the books.