When the Los Angeles Lakers were on their eight-game winning streak, they looked like a team capable of beating anybody in the NBA. Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves powered the offense while the defense was one of the best in the league thanks to their non-stop energy and effort.
Unfortunately, things have taken a bad turn recently as the Lakers have dropped three straight games, the last two coming with a fully healthy roster. And following Monday night’s loss to the Orlando Magic, Doncic revealed that he feels the Lakers may have gotten a bit satisfied after their great stretch of play, especially on defense, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“I think we just gotta look back at the way we played on that eight-game winning streak. We were physical, we played a hell of a defense. I think we just got a little bit satisfied, but we can’t afford that right now.”
Against the Magic, the Lakers came out pretty strong,. But just like their previous game against the Bulls, things completely fell off in the third quarter and Doncic feels they have to keep up that energy and effort for the entire game:
“Yeah, I think we started the game that way. Especially in the first half, I think we played great defense. I think they made some tough shots in the first half. And the way we played in the first half. I think we gotta play the whole game. The game of basketball is not just 24 minutes, it’s gotta be all 48.”
But just like everyone else on this team, Doncic knows the Lakers are capable of getting back to that level, they just have to figure out how to do so:
“Yeah, we definitely need to get back. Like JJ said, we told on ourselves. We know we can do it and we just gotta look back and maybe watch the film from those games, how we were playing. We were physical, we were flying around and we told on ourselves. We know we can do it.”
The offensive side should fall into place with Luka, LeBron and Reaves, but the defense is what made the Lakers look like a serious championship contender and this team must tap back into what they had on that side of the floor to be successful.
Luka Doncic feels he must be a more vocal leader for Lakers
In terms of what he can do individually to help get the Lakers back on track, Luka Doncic was more concerned with himself as a leader and communicator for this team.
The superstar guard feels that he needs to talk more and be a better leader for the Lakers overall. While Doncic added that he feels anybody on the team should be able to speak up when needed, he feels that he needs to talk more and is getting more comfortable doing so with this team.
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