On Monday night the world got a glimpse of the new-look Lakers as Luka Doncic made his debut in Los Angeles. Despite a quiet performance from the Slovenian star, the Lakers pulled away with a dominant 132-113 victory over the Jazz. Doncic’s chemistry with his new teammates was apparent, although the Lakers are still integrating him into the team. ESPN analyst Shannon Sharpe has seemingly seen enough and is ready to crown the Lakers as one of the best teams in the West. To the surprise of Stephen A. Smith, he even went to the lengths of choosing the Lakers over the Thunder.
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Sharpe made a bold statement about his Lakers on ESPN’s First Take. He claims that if the Lakers were to go head-to-head with the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, Los Angeles would stamp their spot in the NBA Finals. Smith couldn’t believe Sharpe’s words. He said,
“You’re gonna beat the Oklahoma City Thunder? Shannon needs to be drug tested. Something is wrong with you right now.”
Shannon Sharpe: “Let us get OKC in the Western Conference Finals. I guarantee it! … If the Lakers get the OKC Thunder in the Western Conference, we are going to the NBA Finals!”
Stephen A. Smith: “Shannon need to be drug tested.” pic.twitter.com/PXFNy1Rb8y
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 11, 2025
Los Angeles certainly received the better player, exchanging Anthony Davis for Doncic. However, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka made the deal with the future in mind. Many fans don’t view the Lakers as contenders this season, and many analysts claim the same.
Brian Windhorst doesn’t believe the Lakers can win a title this season
Luka raises the Lakers’ ceiling. He is an extraordinary playoff performer who carried the Mavericks to a Finals appearance last season. However, Brian Windhorst doesn’t believe the team has the tools to emulate that same level of success, saying,
“[Lakers winning a championship] is a little bit much this year. Luka’s acquisition no doubt raised the ceiling for the Lakers. Without a center, I just think that they’re going to have struggles in certain matchups.”
Los Angeles anticipated Mark Williams to be the starting center for the future, but that has been shut down, since he failed his physical. Windhorst is giving LA a fair leash this season but will wait till next season to properly assess the team.
