The Los Angeles Lakers have had an unexpected identity since acquiring Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks. Doncic starring alongside LeBron James and Austin Reaves gave the impression that they would be a high-octane offense that maybe would struggle on the defensive end.
But since Luka debuted for the Lakers on Feb. 10, they have the 16th-ranked offense and the fourth-ranked defense in the league. They are steadily climbing, though, as they are the No. 11 offense since March 4. Dorian Finney-Smith, the Lakers other major acquisition this season, has noticed the improvement.
The Lakers got a 125-109 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, and it was among the easiest things have been for L.A. offensively since acquiring Doncic. He did not shoot well from the field, but he punished the Spurs for their heavy double-teams against him and players like Finney-Smith made them pay by going 4-of-8 from deep.
Finney-Smith spoke about the offense on Monday night and why things worked for L.A.
“They ran a bunch of different pick-and-roll coverages trying to guard Luka and AR and it just opened up shots for me, Gabe, Goody. It was a good overall win,” Finney-Smith said.
The Lakers forward then took a holistic look at the Lakers offense with Doncic at the helm, answering if he feels they are close to unlocking something.
“It’s just fun, man,” Finney-Smith said. “He’s gonna create so many problems for people on the offensive end, so we just gotta make it easy for him. We gotta make open shots, Jaxson keep doing his thing and catching lobs. Everybody just do what they’re paid to do and do their job. When Bron comes back, he’s fast as hell so we’ll play a little bit faster when he’s on the court. But that was just a good win tonight though.”
L.A. having that type of performance on their fourth game in five nights with another back-to-back on the horizon is especially impressive.
“Like you said, as a team we gotta figure it out. It’s tough but these games are important, especially with what we’re trying to do in the playoffs,” Finney-Smith added. “So we just gotta stick together, everybody’s got to step up and hopefully we get guys back and integrated into the offense and back playing so they can get their rhythm.”
The Lakers having a somewhat inconsistent offense and a strong defense during Doncic’s first month in action is a scary thought, as it means they have room to turn into an even more efficient and effective basketball team.
Games like Monday show why they could be such a dangerous team when the postseason rolls around.
Luka Doncic can’t believe Austin Reaves went undrafted
Luka Doncic is getting the chance to see how good Austin Reaves is from up close, watching him take over each of the last four games for the Lakers. After Monday’s win, Doncic gave Reaves high praise and focused on the fact that the guard went undrafted in 2021 before accomplishing everything he has thus far.
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Los Angeles Lakers(96) - Minnesota Timberwolves(103)