This could still happen, as injuries can derail anything, but 15 games into the NBA season, it seems like a ridiculous move.
Even with LeBron James out for the first 14 contests, the Lakers were able to pick up wins with Luka Doncic as the man in charge. He leads the NBA in scoring with an average of 34.6 points per game.
LeBron made his season debut against the Jazz and we immediately saw LeBron gel with his teammates and dish out 12 assists to help the Lakers get a big win.
After the win, Austin Reeves discussed how having LeBron and Luka makes everything better for everyone.
“We have two of the best passers who have touched the basketball and with their correct reads, I would say 90% of the time, you’re going to play advantage basketball and at that point, the game should be pretty easy,” Reeves said. “I thought we did a good job tonight with their snaps and going into any type of pick and roll with Luka or even Braun, just getting the ball to the right spots and guys making cuts at the right time, finding the right areas. We’ll continue to grow in those aspects, but it felt great tonight.”
A great example of what Reeves is talking about is how Luka and LeBron gave Jake Laravia an easy look for a three.
First, Luka delivered a hit-ahead pass to LeBron. Then James drove to the rim and four Jazz players in the paint were falling on him. James kicked it to an open Laravia and just like that, the Lakers got three catch-and-shoots from the corner in about five seconds.
Reeves wasn’t the only one who noticed LeBron’s impact even after just one game. This was the first time Deandre Ayton played an NBA game with LeBron and he enjoyed it. After the win, he talked about how LeBron’s presence alone makes him a better defender.
Luka’s impact has been evident throughout the season. He’s causing a lot of problems for defenses as they’re attacking him trying to get the ball out of his hands. Even when they do, Luka still has the ability to deliver incredible passes and find open players. He averages nine assists per game, a career high for the Slovenian.
It turns out that employing two All-NBA-caliber players is a good thing. Who could have seen this coming?
It won’t be long before those same talking heads will be riling up basketball fans and saying how it was obvious that a Lakers team with LeBron, Reaves and Luka was going to be great.
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