Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic had an amazing night in the stats department, as he posted a game-high 35 points to go with five rebounds and eight assists. Although impressive, in light of the Lakers’ 132-119 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, it is evident that Doncic’s performance wasn’t enough.
In this regard, despite scoring 35 points for the game, Luka Doncic received some harsh criticism from Lakers legend James Worthy, who shed more light on the superstar’s outing on “Spectrum SportsNet“.
“It’s funny how Luka can have this type of stat line, and then it still not be noticed,” Worth said. “It’s not the most important thing in the game, it’s not a big factor… Because it wasn’t impactful.”
“The numbers that he had and the way San Antonio was countering anything that the Lakers put up, even his 35. They just kind of deleted this performance. It wasn’t a dominant performance. It was a good stat line, but it didn’t really have a phase on the game that much.”
To some extent, Worth makes a valid point. Although Luka Doncic had a terrific performance from a statistical perspective, his impact on the game was nullified by the performances of players such as Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox.
Luka Doncic ended the night shooting 11-of-24 from the field, 3-of-8 from three-point range, 10-14 from the charity stripe. He also had three turnovers for the game.
Castle deserves some credit for his defensive effort while guarding Luka Doncic. While forcing the Lakers’ superstar to take bad shots, he also managed to force some timely turnovers, which the Spurs eventually capitalized on, logging 27 fastbreak points for the game.
Do Luka Doncic And The Lakers Need Support?
The Los Angeles Lakers are currently 17-6 on the season and tied for second-place in the Western Conference standings. While this is a solid position to be in, the team’s last few outings have not inspired much confidence in its ability to remain in this spot.
The Lakers were exposed by the San Antonio Spurs, who were dominant despite Victor Wembanyama’s absence. With the Purple and Gold’s defense and limited bench strength put on full display, Los Angeles appeared vulnerable.
Individually, Luka Doncic remains brilliant. Given that he is averaging 35.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game this season, it is evident that he is among the league’s elite players. However, Wednesday night’s outing also makes it abundantly clear that he cannot carry this team to success as presently constructed.
On this note, L.A. may consider making some trades ahead of the deadline to help strengthen the roster. Considering the team’s need to improve its defense and its bench depth, the Purple and Gold could benefit from exploring trade options for reliable two-way players.
