LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers
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LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts to his teammate Luka Doncic #77 during the first half of a game against the Golden State Warriors.
Though now monthsafter the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, the previously LeBron James-led team has yet to see what the duo looks like on the court for a full season together.
But now, after Doncic signed his extension and James picked up his player option, two of the league’s top offensive threats are set to play alongside each other for at least the upcoming season on what is a highly anticipated Lakers roster.
While Los Angeles has committed to Doncic as their new franchise star, the future of James remains murky. Yet still, the 21-time All-Star could find new ways to impact the game in what could be his lone full season playing with the Slovenian.
“James will continue his defiance of the aging process and should be good for highly efficient scoring numbers,” Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report wrote. “He might not match last year’s 24.4 points per game, but he has never spent a full season with a facilitator like Dončić. He could be in for the most open spot-ups he’s ever seen.”
James, entering his record-breaking 23rd season, is the oldest player in the NBA.He is setfor free agency next summer, playing what could be his last season for the Lakers now that Doncic is the face of the franchise.
First Full Season With Luka Doncic And LeBron James
The 2025-26 season, being the first full year Los Angeles is with both Doncic and James, remains the leading storyline of the team, despite their other roster changes this summer.
As Doncic will likely take more on-ball responsibilities in a facilitator role, as seen in his time with the Dallas Mavericks, James could find himself facing less pressure than at any other point in his career.
Though he played with Hall of Fame teammates with top-tier offensive skills like Dwyane Wade, the spacing a player like Doncic will create is likely something James has never been accustomed to when it comes to his teammates.
“As long as he’s willing to accept a more dependent role in the offense, James willbe positioned for tons of easy buckets,” Hughes added.
The scoring numbers have dropped for James as his age continues to rise, but the 40-year-old forward finished last year 13th in regular-season scoring and tenth in playoff scoring.
With opposing defenses now making Doncic, entering the prime ages of his career, as their primary target, James could see more wide-open shots compared to any other point of his NBA tenure.
In what is also a good sign for whatexpects to be a deadly offensive combination of Doncic and James, the latter’s shooting numbers have been the highest of his career while with the Lakers, finishing the last two seasons above 50% shooting from the field and nearly 39% fromthree.
New-Look Lakers Roster
Along with Austin Reaves having the ability to take on a decent-sized offensive workload, the Lakers added Deandre Ayton, who, as seen in the past, can score 15 to 20 points a night for the center position that the franchise critically needed.
Deandre Ayton tonight;
▫️27 points▫️9 rebounds ▫️4 assists ▫️3 stocks▫️13/19 FG
THATS WHAT HE DOES🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/XqJRwpug8t
— Toumani Buckets 🌹 (@ToumaniBuckets) February 5, 2024
“Offensively, this group should dominate,” Hughes wrote. “Dončić has plenty to prove after last year’s slippage, and Ayton stands to benefit from the best spoon-fed setupshe’s seen since playing with Chris Paul in Phoenix.”
Reaves, Ayton, Rui Hachimura, and the rest of their supporting cast will pick up the pieces on offense left by both James and Doncic, but the Lakers’ concerns on that side of the ball dwarf those on the defensive side.
Ayton remains a subpar defender, and while Los Angeles struggled immensely against big men in the playoffs, their overall defensive potential doesn’t compare with that of their offense.Marcus Smart was brought in to help minimize those expected woes, but the former Defensive Player of the Year has taken a step back fromwhen he was a consistent All-Defensive player just a few years ago.
“Smart is the only question mark, but one assumes the Lakers added him following a buyout from the Washington Wizards because they believe he can fill a critical defensive role with the first unit,” Hughes added. “If he can’t, Rui Hachimura projects as a reliable replacement—albeit one who probably isn’t suited for matching up against the opponent’s top scoring wing…Defense is going to be a shortcoming.”
The question remains whether the Lakers’ offseason moves are enough to shore up their defense next season. However, the offensive duo of Doncic and James will likelyremain amongst the best in the NBA for the title-hopeful Los Angeles team.