The Lakers just pulled off a heart-stopping 120-119 win over the Pacers, and while LeBron James’ game-winning tip-in stole the headlines, there’s a bigger story brewing in L.A.—Luka Doncic, LeBron, and Austin Reaves are still trying to figure things out on the court. And let’s just say… it hasn’t been the smoothest process.
Doncic himself admitted it—he’s still learning how to mesh with his new teammates, especially LeBron and Reaves, who already have that built-in chemistry. And as if that wasn’t enough, head coach JJ Redick is getting more and more frustrated with Luka’s defense. Yeah, winning is nice, but the Lakers have some serious kinks to work out.
Look, nobody expected Doncic to step in and instantly click with the team. But even he knows it’s taking longer than it should.
After the Pacers game, reporters asked him about that final possession—where he missed a floater, only for LeBron to save the day. Instead of dodging the question, Luka straight-up admitted that he hesitated to pass to James earlier in the play. And that’s kind of the whole problem right now. He’s still figuring out when to take charge and when to let LeBron cook.
And it’s not just a clutch-time issue. Luka put it bluntly: “It’s still a lot of work to do, just trying to understand what those two guys want. They’ve played together for years, so they know each other more. I’ve got to watch film and adapt to that.” LeBron and Reaves have a natural rhythm. Luka? He’s still reading the instruction manual.
Reaves, to his credit, isn’t worried. He’s talked about how playing more minutes together will help smooth things out. But let’s be real—this isn’t some rebuilding team that can afford to be patient. The Lakers are trying to win now, and they need this trio firing on all cylinders ASAP.
If Luka’s offensive chemistry is a work in progress, his defense is… well, let’s just say Redick isn’t exactly throwing him a parade for it.
During his post-game press conference, Redick got real about what went wrong during a stretch where the Lakers’ defense completely collapsed. The Pacers scored three times in 70 seconds, and Redick didn’t hold back: “It starts on the ball. And that continues to be a point of emphasis for us.” Luka, my guy, lock in on defense.
Redick did acknowledge that Luka had some decent defensive moments, even pointing some out at halftime. But overall, the message was loud and clear—he needs to step it up. The Lakers’ defense has been shaky all season, and if their superstar guard isn’t fully engaged on that end, it’s just making things worse.
