While we are still struggling to understand why the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to Los Angeles, the reality is that the Lakers team was already looking good before Luka arrived, winning six of their last seven games before his arrival. Luka made his debut on Monday in an easy game for the Lakers against the Utah Jazz, finishing with 14 points in 24 minutes in his first NBA game since Christmas. However, with three Lakers players scoring over 20 points (LeBron, Reaves and Hachimura) and a 30+ point lead in the first half, his services with the ball were not much needed.
Redick the Happiest About the Doncic Trade
You know how social media works these days – people are looking for and finding everything with how easy it is to record games now. I say this because during the Lakers’ win over the Pacers on Saturday, a fan found a clip of coach JJ Redick grinning from ear to ear when he turned to his bench and saw Luka next to LeBron. He was so happy that he had to tell himself to “stop smiling“. And how could he not? The plan for Redick is to be with the team for many years. With LeBron in the twilight of his career at 40, Redick will stay with Luka once LeBron retires. Luka has the best resume for a 25-year-old player in history, and they could become a legendary coach-player duo. Check out Redick’s reaction in the video.
Luka has been named All-NBA five times in his six seasons and was the most important piece in leading the Mavs to the Finals last season, so if I were Redick, I’d be very happy, too. The change in the Lakers from last season is obvious – last year they had a 31-26 record before the All-Star break; now they are 33-19, fourth in the West. Luka is just getting into a rhythm with the team, so I dare say – with a lot of games left on the schedule – that the Lakers will at least reach the Western Conference semifinals. I would love to see a Lakers vs. Celtics Finals, which in my opinion is the best reason the Lakers brought in Luka: to have a plan to compete against their archrival Celtics. The duel between Doncic and Tatum for at least the next five years could bring the Lakers-Celtics rivalry back to what it was with Magic Johnson vs. Larry Bird in the 80s.
Next on the Lakers’ Season
The All-Star break is this weekend, so there will be some laughs and fun before the final stretch of the season begins. The Lakers have five games left before the end of the month. The first two look easy on paper – first against the Hornets and then the Trail Blazers, two teams near the bottom of their conferences. But the next four will be tough, even though three of them are at home. After playing in Portland, the Lakers head to Denver to face their kryptonite, Nikola Jokic, who has eliminated them from the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. Then they return home, where Luka will face his former team for the first time, and he will surely want to drop 50+ points on them. They close out the month against the Timberwolves and then the Clippers the next night.
