LeBron James turned back the clock with a 40-point performance against the Portland Trail Blazers, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 110-102 win over their opponents. He had to shoulder a huge load, especially with Luka Doncic missing the game for injury management.
Even though LeBron has been carrying the Lakers on the court off late, he made it clear in his post-game interview that getting Doncic integrated into their system is the team’s no. 1 priority right now.
“It’s not just the next game, it’s going to be a process for the rest of the season, as he continues to learn what we want to do offensive and defensively. Our system, our calls, and our cadence. We also have to figure out and learn from him as well. He’s such a great and unbelievable talent. We need to be able to play with him just as much as he needs to play with us.”
“Every day, every game, every practice, every shootaround, every film session, we got to continue getting better and better at integrating our new parts. But he’s definitely priority number one.”
“He’s definitely priority number one.”
LeBron James on Luka Dončić.#LakeShow pic.twitter.com/IzD8yrIQWP
— 🎗NBA•Fan🎗 (@Klutch_23) February 21, 2025
Doncic has stuck out like a sore thumb through his first three games with the Lakers. The franchise is 1-2 in games that he’s played, with the two losses being against lottery teams like the Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets. Matter of fact, even the only win was against the Jazz, so it’s clear Doncic isn’t having the best start to life in LA.
He’s averaging 14.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists on 35.6% from the field and 20.8% from three, still trying to adjust to the team’s style of play. He’s also still trying to return from the longest absence of his career, as Doncic missed nearly two months with a calf strain.
LeBron can carry the franchise through small stretches of the season, but Doncic has to share the load going forward to ensure James doesn’t burn out before the Playoffs.
That’s also why he’s emphasizing the need to integrate Doncic fully, as the team desperately needs him to be their No. 1 option to have a sustainable model of success this season and beyond.
JJ Redick Wants To Figure Out How Doncic Fits Into The Lakers
After the Lakers tough 97-100 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night, JJ Redick got real about the challenge of helping a player like Doncic fit into the Lakers system.
The coach seems excited by the challenge and wants to solve this like a puzzle.
“Sometimes when the group is trying to get acclimated with each other, you try to play the right way too much and turn down shots… I think the flow of everything is gonna happen. I’m excited, this is a new problem to solve and we’ll work our butts off to solve it. I’m excited about us being able to generate this stuff, getting two on the ball, and we’ll try to re-emphasize the type of show we want.”
Despite common notions, Doncic has proven through his career that he’s portable. He completely changed his style of play to incorporate guys like Kyrie Irving and athletic centers after having a much slower style in seasons prior. He also learned to adjust and maximize teammates like Jalen Brunson and Kristaps Porzingis in Dallas.
Once the puzzle clicks for Doncic, he’ll likely unleash the greatest version of off-ball LeBron that we’ve seen. The potential is there, and three games is too short a period to draw any real conclusions from.
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