Luka Doncic despatched social media right into a frenzy when he was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in February. Nonetheless, the franchise’s championship hopes for the season rested on how successfully he might synergize with LeBron James.
Doncic’s Lakers debut was delayed by a left calf pressure. As soon as he lastly donned the purple and gold, it took him three or so video games to return to type, however as soon as he did, he averaged 29.8 factors, 8.2 rebounds and seven.8 assists from Feb. 22 by way of the top of the common season.
The Lakers posted a 17-8 file throughout that stretch, clinching the No. 3 seed within the Western Convention. Doncic and James didn’t type the overwhelmingly dominant duo some anticipated, however their synergy was efficient sufficient, positioning Los Angeles for a robust playoff push.
However the Lakers met their match within the first spherical, shedding to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 5 video games. Los Angeles’ lack of measurement and rim safety was evident towards a high-quality frontcourt in Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle and Naz Reid. To worsen issues, head coach JJ Redick continued to trot out smaller lineups as a result of beginning heart Jaxson Hayes was in foul bother or in any other case ineffective.
The Timberwolves proved to be the extra bodily group. Anthony Edwards was dominant. Los Angles struggled to shut out video games, and its Large 3 of Doncic, James and Austin Reaves stored turning the ball over and struggled in crunch time. All of it added as much as a first-round exit for the Lakers regardless of their first 50-plus win season since 2019-20.
So, the place does Los Angeles go from right here?
James averaged 24.4 factors, 7.8 rebounds and eight.2 assists whereas capturing 51.3% from the sphere in his age 40 season. He appeared in 70 regular-season video games, and even at his superior age, stays far simpler than most ahead choices within the league.
Nonetheless, it’s unknown how for much longer James intends to play. After the Timberwolves clinched the collection on Wednesday, he informed reporters that he’s not sure about his future. The NBA’s all-time main scorer has a $52.6 million participant choice for subsequent season and should choose into that deal by June 29, or he’ll turn out to be a free agent.
Doncic, 26, is eligible for a four-year, $229 million extension in August. The Lakers could be good to maneuver rapidly in the event that they finally want to make him the franchise’s cornerstone. As a result of if no deal is reached, he’ll turn out to be an unrestricted free agent in 2026, and the group would danger shedding him — and Anthony Davis — for nothing.
Los Angeles nonetheless has to construct a deeper roster round Doncic and James, and its lack of depth was manifestly evident within the T-wolves collection. Value-effective roster additions shall be important, particularly at heart, which was undoubtedly the Lakers’ greatest weak point. Throwing in a two-way wing that may area the ground could be an enormous addition as properly.
Redick proved to be a much more succesful head coach within the NBA than many anticipated, and buying and selling for Doncic re-opened the Lakers’ championship window. Optimism ought to be excessive in Los Angeles however given James’ age and the delicacy of Doncic’s contact state of affairs, the margin for error going ahead is slim.
