Luka Doncic dropped 44 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ win against the Indiana Pacers, but with that, his five assists have also garnered similar attention from fans. Social media has been divided in its opinions about the 2019 Rookie of the Year’s performance without LeBron James on the roster.
Doncic’s defense also seemed better in the last game, in which he made three steals and two blocks. A user on X shared that the Lakers guard was better without James:
“Bron the goat but Luka is so much better without him on the court”
In another post, the user also posted screenshots of Luka Doncic’s offensive and defensive ratings with and without King James. Interestingly, in both categories, Doncic’s numbers were better without him than when the duo plays together.
Even though Doncic’s 25 field goal attempts were not exceptionally high in comparison to his average, he shot 56% from the field and 7-14 from deep. Apart from that, the other three starters scored in double digits: Marcus Smart (11), Rui Hachimura (13), and Austin Reaves (19).
Luka Doncic and Co. struggle with late regular-season woes
The Lakers are struggling late in the regular season due to the offensive woes of Austin Reaves and their problems with the starting center. Deandre Ayton has been sidelined due to right knee soreness, and he has not been able to perform at the required level.
Jaxson Hayes has replaced Ayton in the starting lineup, but scored just nine points and four rebounds in the win against the Pacers. His chemistry with the Slovenian guard has looked good thus far, but several analysts and fans have raised doubts about his capabilities as a starting center.
Besides, the Reaves, Doncic, and James trio has not been able to fire with the same rigour as they did at the start of the season. JJ Redick will soon need to fix the team’s issues before the playoffs if the Lakers want to make a deep run.
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