Much has been said about how the new Los Angeles Lakers star duo of LeBron James and Luka Dončić, two of the game’s most ball-dominant forces, would fit next to each other.
Their 7-2 record when playing together speaks for itself.
The 40-year-old James has been rejuvenated with Dončić’s arrival. The biggest proof is his 41st NBA Player of the Month award in February when the Lakers went 10-2.
James made his true feelings known about Dončić dominating the ball.
He has no qualms about it and he’s embracing it.
“In order for us to be the team, ultimately, we need to be, the ball needs to be in Luka’s hands,” James told reporters after they beat the New Orleans Pelicans for their seventh straight win.
Dončić has supplanted James as the Lakers’ leader in usage rate at 34.7%, according to StatMuse. James’ usage rate dropped to 30.6% from 31.1% before his new running mate arrived from Dallas.
“I’m very comfortable playing off the ball,” James continued. “Finding my spots, running the floor, getting outlet passes from Luka. Being on the backside of the defense is either being blitzed and pick and rolls or switched in pick and rolls track so many eyes and bodies I’ve been very blessed to be able to be adaptable to whatever team I’ve been on throughout my career, to be able to change and this is another instance.”
James has no doubt in his mind his pairing with Dončić would work as he has done it before with Dwyane Wade in Miami and Kyrie Irving in Cleveland which resulted in four championships.
Luka to LeBron for 50K Scoring Milestone
The Slovenian star dropped 30 points and matched his season-high 15 assists with eight rebounds, a steal and a block in the Lakers’ latest win that allowed them to stay at No. 2 in the strong Western Conference.
One of Dončić’s assists helped James reach the unprecedented 50,000 scoring milestone.
“It’s amazing, watching him do this stuff at this age,” Dončić told reporters. “It’s just unbelievable, that 50K points. I can’t even explain how insane that is. He might get to 70K. You never know.”
James entered the game with 49,999 combined points for his career in the regular season and playoffs. He reached the milestone on his first shot — a 3-pointer from the left wing off a Dončić assist that gave the Lakers a 13-6 lead with 8:34 remaining in the opening quarter.
James finished with 34 points, eight rebounds and six assists with two blocks and one steal.
With Dončić directing traffic, James can just pick his spots which has preserved his energy to play on the other end where he is anchoring the league’s best defense (107.9 defensive rating since Jan. 15) in the last seven weeks.
In their latest win, the Lakers’ new star duo have generated 104 of the Lakers’ 136 points with their combined 64 points and 21 assists, eight of them led to 3-pointers.
NBA Insider Hints at Luka Dončić’s Lakers Future
One of the factors why the Mavericks did not get all the Lakers picks for Dončić is because the risk attached. With the trade talks heavily guarded under sworn secrecy between the two camps, the Lakers did not get Dončić’s pulse if he would re-sign with the Lakers.
Dončić, who just turned 26, could sign up to four years worth $229 million beginning on August 2. He has one more guaranteed year plus a $48.97 million player option for 2026-27 on his current contract.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Dončić is loving the star treatment from the Lakers and their fan base, which is good news when it comes to his long term future with the team.
“I think he’s loving his time in LA, I think he’s loving how the stars are being treated like stars,” Charania said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday, March 4. “It’s Hollywood. It’s making the star players bigger than life, and that’s what we’re going to see with Luka.”
Dončić is quickly regaining his All-NBA form, averaging 22.9 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists through his first nine games with the Lakers coming off a calf injury that sidelined him for 22 games in Dallas before his shocking trade.
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