If there was any doubt that the Los Angeles Lakers’ new duo of LeBron James and Luka Doncic would work well together, that was quickly laid to rest in last night’s easy win over the Jazz. The Lakers were able to coast to victory by building a huge early lead in Doncic’s purple and gold debut, which allowed both LeBron and Luka to keep their minutes down.
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ESPN basketball analyst Jay Williams appeared on Get Up this morning to speak about the benefits of this new exciting partnership, which he thinks is going to cause problems for the rest of the NBA. He brought up the fact that the Lakers now have two elite facilitators on the team, which will allow them to stagger the minutes in such a way that the team will always have one of them on the court.
Additionally, a starting 5 with both Bron and Luka poses a completely different challenge to teams, and Williams mentioned how it’d be difficult for any opposition to effectively guard them both.
“What do we always talk about with LeBron? We talk about the minutes that he plays. Well, this allows LeBron to rest … Seeing two of the smartest players we have in the game of basketball right now playing on the same court together, it opens up the floor, and this offense is going to be prolific.”
.@RealJayWilliams weighs in on Luka Doncic's Lakers debut 🤩 pic.twitter.com/krgPpVPzjH
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 11, 2025
He didn’t even mention Austin Reaves, who has become an indispensable part of this team with his sweet shooting and ability to create looks for his teammates. His 45-point explosion against the Pacers a couple of nights ago is a perfect example of this.
Williams also took note of LeBron’s leadership, including how he told Luka to “Fit in, not fit out.” This is an important piece of the equation, as even for a superstar as great as Luka, it can be difficult to change teams in the middle of the season, especially when the move was so unexpected.
We all saw how emotional Luka was about leaving Dallas, but having LeBron there to help him make the transition will help both players and the team as a whole.
The Lakers are back in a big way
Williams was right when he called the Lakers “the most interesting team in all of sports.” There are few teams that can capture the public’s attention the way the Purple and Gold can, and this trade for Luka has sent them into a new stratosphere.
Everyone in the sports world is talking about Doncic joining the team, to the point that the conversation even overshadowed the Super Bowl in the week leading up to the big game.
The Lakers were already playing fantastic ball before Luka arrived, winning eight of nine before he made his team debut.
L.A. is currently fourth in the West with a 32-19 record, and if they can beat the Jazz again on Wednesday, they’ll enter the All-Star break with a ton of momentum. Being interesting is one thing, being title contenders is another, but the Lakers may yet be able to have their cake and eat it too.
