The Los Angeles Lakers got bounced in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, and many fans were dissatisfied with the Doncic-James pairing. During the regular season, the LA team was plus-24 with both their best players on the floor, witnessing 1,399 points in comparison to the opponents’ 1,375. But in their series against the Timberwolves, they were minus-29. Did the Luka Doncic and LeBron James pairing simply not work? For year one, that seems to be the case. Ever since the 26-year-old went to the Lakers, the team’s strategy has been to score more than their opponents.
While there have been a slew of other changes, none of it resulted in big outcomes. Then came some odd decisions. For instance, in Game 4 against the Timberwolves, Lakers HC JJ Redick had Doncic and other big names play for the entire half without using a center, and that marked the first time since 1998 that a coach did so. But did his strategy work? No! The overall observation has been that Luka Doncic and LeBron James would mostly play in silos. For some fans, that reminded them of Dwyane Wade and James in the early Big Three in Miami. But here’s the difference: The Miami teammates went through training camp and were able to show better chemistry. On the other hand, the Lakers look disjointed; They need an overhaul.
If there’s anything you can take away from this series, it’s that the Lakers didn’t play well as a team. Could the reason be the fact that the Lakers changed their ways in order to accommodate Doncic? “The whole dynamic changed when we made the acquisition of Luka. ‘How can we change our approach to best fit his game? And how can we center our game around his?’ And I think it’s always challenging when you make a, like I said, a big acquisition like that,” said LeBron James after their 103-96 Game 5 loss, confirming the team’s identity had changed. But Lakers guard Austin Reaves thinks there’s a way to fix all this.
And this was exactly what the Lakers were missing tonight. They didn’t have anything to fall back on when things got desperate. And as a result, they looked lost while playing with the same teammates they’ve been around since the trade deadline ended. Nonetheless, it will take time for the Lakers to adapt to life with Luka Doncic in LA. However, Coach Redick also spoke about the fact that they had little time to tinker and perfect the Lakers’ starters and playing style during the regular season.
“I mean, we played 13 games with our playoff rotation in the regular season. Bron and Luka obviously played more than that together, but these things take time,” said the Lakers’ head coach after their latest loss. The Lakers looked hesitant, even though they ran their offense through Luka Doncic. It was clear that their belief in each other was lacking. In stark contrast, their opponents came together as a team
But it’s not just the Lakers’ dynamic that has changed. Dorian Finney-Smith, who was briefly Luka Doncic’s teammate in Dallas, revealed that the player himself has changed as well. He revealed the exact differences between the current Doncic and the one he knew.
Luka Doncic has always been one to do his talking on the court. Now, he may clap back at an odd fan here or make jokes with a ref there, but for the most part, he remains a little reserved. However, DFS thinks Doncic has grown in this regard since the time they were teammates in Dallas
