JJ Redick wants Luka Dončić to control the offense for Lakers

The Lakers have a new offensive hub and his name is Luka Dončić.

The Luka Dončić era has just begun in Los Angeles, but it’s already been electrifying. The Slovenian phenom finally had his first breakout game on Saturday, scoring 32 points in a win over the Nuggets.

It was the first time you could see what he’ll look like once he adjusts to his new team. Luka looked like Luka, jawing at officials and fans, knocking down 3-pointers and dazzling the Denver crowd with his assists.

Before the season began, head coach JJ Redick noted that he wanted Anthony Davis to be the Lakers' offensive hub. Now, with AD gone, it sounds like Luka will be that player moving forward.

“Luka needs to be the guy that controls the offense and Bron and AR, because we’re going to stagger everybody, they’re going to have their times to be on the ball but all three of those guys are very intelligent basketball players,” Redick said after the win. “We can create mismatches, we can get teams in the blender. A lot of times, that’s how we were able to generate, I thought, some great looks in the first half. Made some early and then we went cold. We felt like we were getting good offense throughout that first half.”

With how elite Luka is at handling the ball, it gives Redick another elite offensive initiator and arguably, he is better at this on the Lakers than anyone else.

The data shows that the more Luka has the ball in his hands, the better it is for everyone involved. Last season, for the Mavericks, Luka was a top-five player in terms of usage and we saw that result in Dallas making an NBA Finals appearance.

Even during these few games as a Laker, players like Jaxson Hayes have benefited from easy finishes near the basket thanks to some Dončić dimes. The team has also increased its 3-point attempts, shooting 40 a game post-trade.

Navigating changing the offense to be more focused on a player who just joined the roster is a challenge, but when that person is Luka, that’s exactly the kind of problem coaches dream about.

Redick gets to live out that fantasy as the Lakers benefit from the execution of that vision.

Now that his minutes restriction has been lifted, fans can see what a fully healthy Luka can do in Los Angeles as the primary ball handler.

With his next game being against his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Luka raise his game to another level immediately and progressively improve as the Lakers look to close out February on a winning streak.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.