Luka Dončić is already making the Lakers’ lives easier
It’s only taken 11 games for Luka Dončić’s Lakers teammates to see and feel the benefits of playing next to him.
As he often does following a loss, JJ Redick looked distraught. He barely held onto the anvil that was the microphone while his other hand was busy furiously massaging his temples. His Lakers had just gotten steamrolled by the Clippers in a game they trailed by as many as 26 points. The defense was subpar and the offense was anemic.
“We don’t have a huge margin for error. Nor can we create that margin organically,” Redick told the press. “We don’t have a guy on our team that’s going to necessarily always draw two to the ball. We don’t have a guy on our team that’s going to be able to get past his guy one-on-one and get to the paint and spread it out to the perimeter. Like, that’s just not our team.”
We don’t have a guy on our team.
Fast forward nearly two months from that lowly night in Inglewood when both Redick and LeBron James voiced their concerns over the state of the roster and the Lakers’ outlook suddenly looks brighter. Largely because Los Angeles now has that guy.
In its most fundamental state, basketball is a game dictated by advantages. That is what Redick pined for and described. A player who could organically and independently break gameplans, matchups and the geometry of the floor. A player who is the advantage.
That is what Luka Dončić does. And that is what he is great at.
Although it’s only been 11 games, the coaching staff and Dončić’s teammates are already reaping the benefits of what he brings to the court. There’s no better evidence than the drastic change in how defenses guard the Lakers.
With risking “death” by playing drop against Dončić’s pull-up game or the dubious proposition of sending an individual defender his way via switch, opposing teams have then been left with only blitzing (sending two defenders) Dončić as a viable last resort.
While this approach accomplishes the defense’s goal of getting the ball out of his hands, this inversely opens up a buffet-style line for Dončić’s teammates to feast on because of his extraordinary passing.
“When you put a guy like that on your team, and everybody knows how skilled he is, he makes the game easier for everybody else,” Austin Reaves said about playing next to Dončić.
It’s difficult to appreciate or even comprehend Dončić’s innate gravity until watching it nightly. There is not a shot nor possession where eyes, hands or bodies aren’t drawn to him like the sun.
Similar to tactics like things like blitzing, Dončić’s offensive pull sucks in defenders like Kirby and creates a solar system’s worth of space for his teammates to explore.
“I’m back getting wide-open shots where I feel like I got to rush when I really don’t have to,” Dorian Finney-Smith said. “I got plenty of time. The last couple years, I ain’t been playing with guys like Luka, so I’ve been getting hard closeouts. But now I got that time. You butt-naked wide-open.”
The film and numbers back up Finney-Smith’s assessment. Before the trade, the Lakers generated just 16.3 wide-open and 14.1 open threes per contest, according to the league’s tracking data. Both marks ranked near the bottom of the league.
Since Dončić’s arrival, the team has averaged 19.4 wide-open and 19.6 open threes. The latter is the second-highest in the NBA during that span.
Dončić’s impact on the Lakers was easy to predict. But the degree and quickness it has transpired has been startling. This is to the credit of Dončić’s unselfish game but also his teammates’ willingness to usher him in as their focal point. The most notable being James.
Despite both being among the best passers, scorers and players in the league today, some questioned the on-court fit between Dončić and James and how the latter would handle playing next to who is expected to be his eventual replacement as the face of the team.
Regardless of how valid these concerns ever were, it only took one outlet pass to see Dončić and James not only could coexist but thrive next to each other. For it to happen, Dončić would need to be the player the offense revolved around, a fact James understood and has benefitted from.
“In order for us to be the team ultimately we need to be, the ball needs to be in Luka’s hands,” James recently said.
The self-awareness and proclamation from James has since allowed everyone to slot into their natural roles without external fanfare. Even if James still excels in orchestrating for others, the shift to a more off-ball capacity has also made things easier for him.
Before Dončić’s arrival, 42% of James’ makes came via an assist from a teammate. Since linking up, that number has jumped a whopping 8%. For context, James’ current 50% assisted upon rate would be the highest rate of his career. This is almost all due to Dončić.
Among the 57 baskets James has been assisted upon during this stretch, Dončić has been responsible for 27 (47.3%). That’s 16 more than the next closest player (Reaves).
“I’m very comfortable playing off the ball and finding my spots,” James added.
“Running the floor, getting outlet passes from Luka, being on the backside of the defense if he’s either being blitzed in the pick and rolls or switched in pick and rolls and attract so many eyes and bodies. I’ve been very blessed to be able to be adaptable to whatever team I’ve been on during my career, to be able to change. And this is another instance and I’m looking forward to it.”
Beyond taking advantage of the extra attention Dončić draws in the half court, James playing wide receiver to Dončić’s quarterback has transformed the Lakers’ transition offense in particular and is responsible for some of the duo’s most exciting link-ups.
The combination of Dončić’s defensive rebounding, incredible court vision and outlet passing creates the potential for a transition chance after every stop.
When Dončić has been on the floor, the Lakers’ transition frequency percentage is 1.3% higher and their scoring efficiency on those chances skyrockets. Prior, the Lakers were scoring just 122.5 points per 100 transition chances compared to 143.5 now.
In many ways, Dončić is the ultimate release valve. When things get tough or the opposition is especially formidable, he can make things a little easier for everyone — even arguably the best to ever do it.
This is especially important as, with the Lakers beginning to pile up injuries — James will miss a reported 1-2 weeks — the team will need Dončić’s magic more than ever.
Although still in the infancy of his Lakers tenure, Dončić has already left his stamp on the team and what the rest of the league must grapple with.
The moment he steps on the floor, there is no moment for reprieve, no moment when an opportunity can not arise, no moment when the defense is not on their heels.
This is what having Luka Dončić on your team feels like. The quiet confidence that no matter the situation or coverage, he’s the guy who can make something happen.
All stats courtesy of Cleaning the Glass unless otherwise stated. You can follow Alex on Bluesky at @alexregla.bsky.social.