Luka Doncic came into this season as the No. 1 option for the Los Angeles Lakers, but there was an expectation that LeBron James would be his co-star. Unfortunately, James is expected to miss time with a sciatica on his right side and now it elevates Doncic’s responsibilities even more to begin the year.
As a 26-year-old, Doncic is no stranger to leading a team in production, but it is completely different doing so in a Lakers jersey. But, with new additions in Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart, the Lakers players should help make the Slovenian star’s life a little bit easier.
It stings to lose a four-time champion before the regular season starts, and Doncic discussed what the Lakers can do to make up for LeBron’s absence.
“It’s a big change,” the All-NBA guard said after practice on Saturday. “He’s a great player. He can help us a lot. But at the end of the day, our mentality needs to be ‘next man up.’ We got a group of guys that have been practicing and hopefully LeBron can join us as soon as possible. We are going to obviously need him. But our mentality has got to be ‘next man up.’ That’s it.”
One could worry about Doncic’s workload as he will be responsible for creating and orchestrating the team’s offense, but he does not view it through that lens.
“I don’t view it that way,” Doncic said when asked if he feels he needs to do more. “I just want to play basketball. If I do less, if I do more, whatever it takes for me to get a win.”
Fortunately, L.A. opens up with a favorable schedule and does not have to run through a gauntlet without James. However, there will definitely be struggles as players try to learn how to play with one another and hone in on head coach JJ Redick’s schemes.
On the other hand, if there is a player who can plug and play, it is the 23-year veteran. He is a dynamic star who can mold his playstyle to accommodate to the roster’s needs.
Hopefully, the Lakers can establish winning habits early with Doncic as the sole No. 1 option and James returns to strengthen those habits.
JJ Redick hopeful LeBron James won’t miss too much time
Training camp and the preseason have not treated the Lakers kindly as players have been sidelined due to injuries, resulting in missed opportunities to have on-court reps before the regular season starts, which could come back to haunt them.
With LeBron James expected to miss three to four weeks, it adds insult to injury. JJ Redick, however, is optimistic James will not miss too much time with Opening Night on Oct. 21.
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