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“Don’t Think Lakers Win Another Championship with LeBron James”: Jalen Rose Gives Honest Opinion Post Luka Doncic Trade

Aakash Nair
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LeBron James and Luka Doncic (L) and Jalen Rose (R)

Much has been said about the Dallas Mavericks’ decision to part ways with Luka Doncic in Los Angeles. Jalen Rose, while analyzing the trade, presented his perspective on how the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers’ season would look. The Slovenian superstar’s dynamics with LeBron James is an area the Lakers should try to get right from the word go, felt Rose. 

The debate around how Doncic would fit into LA, and whether he and James will learn to be effective off the ball, has been raging. With both the superstars being ball-dominant playmakers, they will have to acclimatize playing alongside each other.

Watching him with LeBron [James] this year is gonna be great,” said Rose on NBA TV.They gotta figure out, like, who’s gonna be the primary ball-handler, they gotta make each other look good.”

However, Rose is optimistic their high basketball IQs will speed up the process under JJ Redick.  

Ultimately, they are two of the most intelligent players to ever play the game. Two of the most versatile players to ever play the game. They’re gonna make each other better,” said Rose.

Can the Lakers now push themselves into serious championship contention with two versatile superstars on their roster? Rose felt the immediate priority for the team would be to stay relevant.

“But for the Lakers, it’s not about winning a championship this year. For the Lakers, it’s about being relevant. I don’t think they win another championship with LeBron [James],” Rose added. There are still shortcomings on the roster that could hinder their championship hopes this time around.

One of the big reasons for the uncertainty around the Lakers’ ability to contend is their lack of frontcourt depth.

While fans expect Rob Pelinka to make another trade before the deadline to bring a center into the rotation, former NBA players are still uncertain about LA’s title odds following the departure of Anthony Davis.

NBA analysts share their concerns about the Doncic trade

Rose isn’t alone in his opinion that the Lakers’ championship window with LeBron has closed. After all, the roster was tooled around the partnership between the King and Davis. Charles Barkley believes that the trade might signify the end of the James era in LA. 

LeBron is on his last legs. Let’s start getting us a star for the future,” Chuck said.

This thing is not gonna be smooth in LA with him [Doncic] and LeBron. ‘Cause both of ‘em want the ball 100% of the time. ‘Cause, you know, Luka doesn’t move without the ball, LeBron doesn’t move without the ball. There’s gonna be some serious growing pains when those two try to play together,” he added.

While Barkley echoed many of the same concerns as Rose, other NBA legends are far more critical of the move on LA’s side. Paul Pierce, who is faithful to the Lakers’ biggest rivals (the Boston Celtics), believes that, even without LeBron, Luka will struggle to find success with the Purple and Gold.

He not the super star La needs doesn’t fit the mold Magic Kobe Shaq LeBron just saying tho bad Move,” Pierce tweeted on Saturday night. 

The only way in which Doncic differs drastically from the previous Lakers’ superstars is in his style of play. Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and even LeBron, were all extraordinary athletes at their position, and they used that to their advantage throughout their careers.

However, Luka’s pace of play has never stopped him from finding team success during the regular season or postseason thus far. He is undoubtedly built for the bright lights and whenever the Lakers start building around him, we are likely going to be in store for a modern iteration of Showtime. 

Post Edited By:Satagni Sikder

About the author

Aakash Nair

Aakash Nair

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NBA journalist Aakash Nair has followed the game for nearly a decade. He believes that basketball today is just as alive during the off-season with podcasts, interviews, articles and YouTube videos constantly providing fans with new insights. Aakash closely follows the game of narratives, of who will have a breakout year and who might be on the slump. As a fan, he is interested in all the context and behind-the-scenes moves that go into making a championship contender. As a writer, he intends to bring that same context to the forefront.

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