Life has been great for the Los Angeles Lakers since landing the blockbuster trade of the century, acquiring Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks. However, LeBron James is of the belief there is still a much higher ceiling for the Lakers to tap into.
Los Angeles has a 14-8 record with Doncic in the lineup. That mark rightfully reflects a team that is trending in the direction they want to, but still working out the kinks of this new dynamic. One of the biggest challenges facing the Lakers is still piecing together exactly how the offense excels with all of the talent they have in the mix.
James identifies the trouble defenses will face against the Lakers (and what will make Los Angeles great in the long run)
Doncic has certainly looked more and more like himself on the offensive end with each passing game in Los Angeles. In 22 games wearing purple and gold, the All-NBA guard is averaging 27.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 7.9 assists. and 1.7 steals per game, with shooting splits of 42-36-79.
The more recent of a sample size that is examined, the better the numbers look for Luka. His last 10 games, for example, feature Doncic's statistics looking far more impressive. His points per game go up to 30.4 a night, with stronger splits of 43-41-83.
Doncic is certainly acclimating to his new environment well. JJ Redick has made sure of that. The offense has changed significantly to tailor to the incredible talents of the Lakers point guard on that end.
The problem lies in the overall assessment of the unit. The Lakers have the 19th offensive rating in basketball (113.9) since the All-Star break. That mark does improve when looking at the more recent results. In their last 10 games, Los Angeles is tied for 8th in the league in terms of offensive rating with 114.5. The upward trend is certainly encouraging.
On the season debut of Mind the Game, with his new podcast partner Steve Nash, James discussed his vision for why the Lakers offense has such a high ceiling. It is hard to disagree with his assessment of the situation.
"Myself and Luka will have the two best defenders every night. There's not many teams with a third defender, and that third defender has to guard Austin Reaves," James told Nash.
The all-time great then went onto discuss all the different actions the Lakers can run offensively. It was clear that James was salivating at the thought of the potential for his team.
The Lakers superstar continued: "We [James and Doncic] have the ability to do so many great things. ... [We can] play bully ball, but also have the the brain to be able to manipulate the game as well for the greater good. ... It's the reason why I've been able to do it at this level for as for as long as I've been able to."
A basketball mind as great as that of James is certainly onto something here. The Lakers superstar duo are both incredibly adept manipulating offenses with the very best of them in NBA history. Having to deal with Reaves past is no small task either.
The main challenges that Los Angeles will face from here will be figuring out which personnel works best around the three-headed offensive machine. They will also need to hone in on their rotations and matching minutes in a way that keeps their offense flowing at all times.
It is difficult to not believe that eventually things will fall into place for the Lakers, given the incredible amount of offensive IQ from their leading men alone. When everything clicks, opposing defenses everywhere will be put into a tough spot on a nightly basis.
