In February 2025, the Los Angeles Lakers completed a blockbuster trade to acquire Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks, effectively shifting the NBA’s landscape. By pairing the young superstar with LeBron James, the Lakers formed a new star duo capable of wreaking havoc across the league.
Luka Doncic’s arrival quickly signaled the beginning of a new era for the Lakers, as he immediately became the face of the franchise. While promising, some indicated that this sudden shift was disrespectful to LeBron James.
Needless to say, this reflected in the way the Lakers played, too, as Doncic dominated ball-handling duties. While addressing how this demotion in role affected LeBron James on the “Game Over” podcast, Max Kellerman stated:
“It’s not so easy for him [James]. When you say, ‘He’s the smartest guy, he’ll know what to do.’ He may know what to do, but he doesn’t want to step on toes. So I felt like that was the case with the Lakers… The team would have functioned better had Luka dribbled a little less and LeBron been playing point more… I felt like he needed to assert himself a little more.”
Kellerman reiterated that James, for all his greatness, appeared hesitant to take over playmaking duties from Doncic. Although Kellerman insinuated that James reluctantly took a backseat to give Doncic more leeway, co-host Rich Paul agreed, seemingly throwing some shade at Doncic.
“You’re not wrong,” Paul commented. “You’re 50% right in what you said. It’s a psychological thing, but it’s for a different reason. He [James] was raised right from a basketball perspective. So when a coach asks you to do something, and play a certain way, he doesn’t know how to buck… That’s the only thing he knows how to do.”
“He has such a profound respect for the game and everything that it entails,” he continued. “Obviously, I’m [James] is not the third option. We know that. But if this is what I’ve been asked to do, then I’m going to do that, especially if it helps the team win.”
It is hard to deny the legitimacy of Paul’s comments with reference to the Lakers. When the Purple and Gold witnessed the development of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves as the backcourt duo of the future, it immediately forced LeBron James to embrace a tertiary role on offense.
It would be unheard of for a superstar like James to accept the role of a third option in any setting. However, for the Lakers to flourish, the 41-year-old routinely made sacrifices on the court to improve the team’s chances of winning.
With averages of 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game, James may not have been the team’s leading scorer, but when the time came to shine in the playoffs, the 41-year-old stepped up to the plate like it was just another day at work.
In light of how the Lakers performed in the postseason, especially in the first round, it could be argued that having James take over playmaking duties more often could have been better. With players like Luke Kennard and Rui Hachimura also thriving during this period, the Lakers also saw greater contributions across the board.
Realistically, the finer variables, such as Luka Doncic’s poor off-ball movement, could have adversely affected the team’s offensive flow. When also noting how often the offense would stagnate when James was running it, the overall output may have been far worse.
With LeBron James informing the Lakers that he won’t be returning for the 2026-27 season, the Lakers can officially move on to the Luka Doncic era. Although compensating for James’ production will be virtually impossible, the Lakers’ offseason moves could be viewed as a promising starting point.
