Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic has typically set the tone at the start of games as he is leading the league in first-quarter scoring by a wide margin at 12.0 points per game.
With the team on a three-game losing streak though, Doncic shifted his mentality on Sunday night against the Sacramento Kings, only taking six shots while dishing out three assists in the first quarter.
That helped get the Lakers back on track as they were locked in from the jump and cruised to an easy win.
After the victory, Doncic discussed what he was trying to do differently in the first quarter.
“Just trying to get everybody involved a little more than I used to. So everybody got some shots up today,” Doncic said. “So I just think when we play, when we share the ball, when we move the ball, it’s great for us.”
The Lakers offense is definitely at its best when everyone is moving the ball to get open looks for their teammates. Doncic deserves credit for recognizing that as he could easily continue looking for his own shot in first quarters considering he is the leading scorer in the league.
Overall in the game, Doncic finished with 34 points, five rebounds and seven assists in 33 minutes. Perhaps the biggest difference for the Lakers overall was the energy they played with, which Luka believes starts with himself and LeBron James.
JJ Redick explains Luka Doncic rotation shift
Not only did Doncic’s mentality change in the first quarter, but so did his rotations. The superstar has usually played the entire first quarter, but JJ Redick switched that up and took him out around the three-minute mark. After the game, the head coach explained why he did that and if it will continue.
“I think it, particularly with [Austin Reaves] out, just gives more time for those guys to be the quarterback without the other one. Having said that, we ran a lot of stuff for them to be in two-man action, for them to be part of the play together tonight. So, it’s not like we’re trying to like, keep them apart, it’s just the nature of what we’re trying to do,” Redick said.
“And we’re going to do this for the foreseeable future and just see how it goes. But I thought it was good tonight and it’s a longer stretch for LeBron, it’s a shorter stretch for Luka, but it’s not going to diminish either of their overall playing time.”
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