The Los Angeles Lakers’ momentum after an eight-game winning streak took a hit when LeBron James suffered a groin injury during their loss to the Boston Celtics on Saturday. Losing LeBron at a crucial point in the season is far from ideal, especially with the Western Conference race heating up.
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The Lakers play seven games in the next 11 days, a busy and critical stretch. They next play the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, followed by road games against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Denver Nuggets later in the week, bouts that will surely test this squad’s title contention aspirations.
LeBron’s absence would offset the balance of the Lakers’ offensive juggernaut, putting the load on Luka Doncic. However, not everyone sees the King’s injury and the changes it would force as a major setback. Stephen A. Smith, on the contrary, believes it could end up benefitting the Lakers.
SAS explained that this will be an opportunity for Doncic to “take the bull by the horn in a Lakers uniform and really do his thing, and play to assert himself.” Although he’s been playing fairly well since he arrived in L.A., Luka hasn’t experienced the full pressure of wearing purple and gold while sharing the floor with LeBron.
Smith also reiterated that this injury won’t undermine LeBron’s status as the team’s leader. “He [LeBron] has that kind of impact on players inside that locker room and while he’s sitting on the bench with them,” he added on NBA Countdown.
Yet another positive SAS sees in this injury is that it’ll allow LeBron to get prepared for the intense part of the season. “The legs gonna be a bit fresh once he gets back, you understand. That’s a week to two weeks off [that] LeBron James gets to get himself straight in terms of rest,” added Smith.
Keeping all these positives in mind, SAS is confident that the Lakers will be an even better unit when LBJ returns. “I think this is gonna end up helping the Los Angeles Lakers come playoff time,” he concluded.
An opportunity for the newest superstar to fully assert himself in the system while providing ample rest to the biggest name in the league is surely an optimistic way to look at the injury.
Doncic has improved his game a lot
There was never a doubt on Luka’s potential to thrive in the Lakers organization. The only point of concern since the blockbuster trade was the amount of time it would take him to settle in.
Luka surprised everyone by putting up a 32-point performance in his fourth game for the Lakers. In 11 games, he has dropped 30+ points on five occasions. In the last five games, he has scored 29 points or more in each outing, bringing his average to 24.7 points with 8.1 rebounds and 7.6 assists.
As expected, Luka has found his rhythm in LA. However, the real challenge for him begins now. With LeBron out of the rotation for a while, the Slovenian’s leadership skills will be tested.
It will no longer be about his ability to put up numbers on the board. If we refer to his Mavericks stint as an example, he has what it takes to be a great leader. The only question is, will he be able to hit the ground running as the Lakers leader?
