Luka Dončić’s Groove Is Back
Back in control, back in rhythm. Luka is bending defenses again.
The Nico Harrison trade that shocked the NBA and forever linked the franchises in Dallas and Los Angeles is looking more lopsided by the day.
On one side, the Mavericks are taking blow after blow—the latest, and most brutal, being Kyrie Irving’s season-ending torn left ACL, suffered in the last game against the Sacramento Kings. (Note for Mavericks fans: I’ll dive into the outlook for this season and the big-picture long-term implications soon, as more news on Anthony Davis and Derrick Lively II is expected this week.). And as bad as these breaks are, the organization somehow keeps making it worse with continious tone-deaf responses. The latest is Harrison’s bizarre press release on Kyrie’s injury, where he somehow managed to turn devastating news into yet another reference to himself and his maniacal obsession with Kobe Bryant.
On the other end, in LA, Luka Dončić and the Lakers are rolling. Last night, they beat the New Orleans Pelicans for their sixth straight win and moved into second place in the Western Conference earlier this week. After a slow start to his Lakers tenure, it took Dončić less than 10 games to find his rhythm again after the longest downtime of his career, missing a month and a half due to a calf injury.
After early flashes like a dominant 32-point, 10-rebound, 7-assist, 4-steal performance in a statement win against Denver and high-level stretches in other games, Dončić now looks fully back and controlling games from start to finish. In his last three outings, No. 77 is averaging 30 points, 10 assists, 2 steals, and shooting 41 percent from three on more than 11 attempts per game. Dončić looks much closer to game shape and has regained the lift in his legs, which is crucial for his step-back daggers and that half-step advantage he needs to get defenders on his hip on drives.
Today’s higlhights:
Manipulation and nonstop rotations (🎞️VIDEO) 📈
LeBron James shifting roles, Kyrie Irving style (🎞️VIDEO)
The fish called Luka 📈
Vincent Van Doe next to the Picasso (🎞️VIDEO)
1-Manipulation and nonstop rotations (🎞️VIDEO) 📈
Just a couple of days ago, in my first impressions of Dončić as a Laker, I wrote that he was still far from his old rhythm, but the flashes were there. In the last two games against the Clippers and Pelicans, Dončić was back to picking apart opposing defenses, just like he did for six and a half years in Dallas.
When Dončić’s step-back three is falling like it has been in the last three games, he becomes arguably the most unguardable player in the NBA—or, as J.J. Redick put it, a cheat code with an answer for every riddle. Redick pointed out that the Pelicans, like the Clippers, threw every possible coverage at Dončić, from drop to blitz to red (a term most NBA teams use for fronting or showing early help). But when Dončić is at the top of his game, it doesn’t matter. His combination of scoring, passing, and ability to make every possible read makes him virtually unguardable.
Another thing I mentioned in my early impressions of Dončić as a Laker is their transformation from a low-volume three-point shooting team to one of the league’s best in this category, ranking second only to Boston since his first game on February 10th. While the process in Dončić’s first games wasn’t optimal, with too many above-the-break isolation pull-up threes, the Lakers have started generating far more corner threes in the last couple of games. LeBron James and Dončić are two of the best in the game at generating quality corner three looks for their teammates, and the last two games had the highest corner three frequency of the season, with a recent game against Dallas also ranking in the top five.
This is another indicator of how much Dončić is bending defenses, forcing blitzes and other rotations that create open corner threes or lob dunks in 4-on-3 situations.
2-LeBron James shifting roles, Kyrie Irving style (🎞️VIDEO)
LeBron James continues to defy age, playing at a ridiculously high level and serving as the key driver behind the Lakers' recent resurgence that started even before Dončić got on board.. He was named Western Conference Player of the Month for February, averaging 29.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists, proving once again that even in his 22nd season, he remains one of the most dominant forces in the league.
With Dončić taking over the primary ball-handling responsibilities, James' job just got a lot easier.
Against the Pelicans, it seemed like James was coasting through the game, then you check the box score and see 34 points on very efficient 10-of-18 shooting. When writing about Mavericks games, I often described Dončić and Irving attacking opponents in waves, and now we’re seeing the exact same thing with the Luka and LeBron duo in Los Angeles. Like Irving, James has not only accepted but fully embraced an off-ball role when sharing the court with Dončić. This allows him to pick his spots, conserve energy, and stay fresh for moments when Dončić is on the bench or for the closing stretch when it’s time to take over and finish games.
Another similarity to Dončić's pairing with Irving, or even with Jalen Brunson before that, is James' ability to knock down shots off the catch at a high rate. It’s a skill that doesn’t come as easily or naturally to many ball-dominant players, but it’s crucial when playing alongside Dončić. Last night, LeBron’s first three makes from beyond the arc all came as catch-and-shoot opportunities off Dončić’s passes. The first Dončić assist that made James the first player to reach 50,000 combined points in the regular season and postseason was another iconic moment signaling the start of a new Lakers era.
James, who wasn’t recognized as a reliable outside shooter earlier in his career, has quietly become a dangerous threat, hitting 40 percent on catch-and-shoot threes on 416 attempts over the last four seasons. And judging by their first nine games together, there will be plenty more with Dončić running the offense.
3-The fish called Luka 📈
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