The Los Angeles Lakers were blown out 117-95 by the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of their first-round series at Crypto.com Arena on Saturday. Luka Doncic’s play was the only real positive to come out of the game for the Lakers, but DeMarcus Cousins suggested on Run It Back on FanDuel TV that the team’s struggles on defense might suggest Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison was right to trade him.
“As far as Luka [goes], was Nico wrong?” Cousins asked. “… I mean on the defensive side of the ball.”
The Timberwolves shot 44-86 (51.2%) from the field and 21-42 (50.0%) from beyond the arc against the Lakers in Game 1. Doncic did struggle defensively, but to be fair to him, so did most of his teammates. All of those 42 threes that the Timberwolves attempted were classified as wide-open or open. That’s not down to just one player.
Also, Doncic showed last year that just because he’s not a great defender, that doesn’t mean his team can’t have success in the postseason. The five-time All-Star led the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals, so this narrative surrounding him is baseless.
Doncic was the only Laker who didn’t deserve a lot of criticism for that Game 1 loss. The 26-year-old had 37 points (12-22 FG), eight rebounds, one assist, and two steals against the Timberwolves. You’d like that assist number to be higher, but he was single-covered for much of the night, and his teammates were missing shots too.
The Lakers went a woeful 33-83 (39.8%) from the field in Game 1. Doncic was the only one on the team to shoot over 50.0% while playing at least five minutes, so let’s get off his back here.
Also, this was just one game, so it’s too early to start making such suggestions. The Lakers could well turn things around, but even if they don’t, trading for Doncic was not a mistake. Trading him away, though, certainly was.
The Mavericks had a 70% chance to make the playoffs before they traded Doncic. They ended up missing out by losing in the Play-In Tournament to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Now, injuries were a big reason why the Mavericks failed to get into the playoffs. You’d reckon, though, that Doncic would have been able to drag the team into the postseason despite that, because he’s just that good. We’ll never know for sure, though.
While Mavericks fans are still mourning the fact that Doncic is no longer on the team, the man responsible for shipping him out of town doesn’t regret the decision. Harrison doubled down on the decision to trade Doncic in his private press conference on April 15.
In his end-of-season press conference, though, Harrison admitted he didn’t realize just how much Doncic meant to Mavericks fans. That was a shocking statement to make and gave the impression that he’s incredibly out of touch. This blunder could end up costing him his job, too.
Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont is frustrated that Harrison did not warn him or was just unaware of how outraged the fanbase might be after the trade. He no longer has blind faith in his GM, and you wonder if his days in Dallas are now numbered.
As for Doncic, he doesn’t have to worry about packing his bags, as the Lakers are not going to be trading him anytime soon. They’re thrilled to have the Slovenian and will be confident that he will lead them to victory in Game 2 at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday at 10 PM ET.
