The Los Angeles Lakers have been somewhat of a pleasant surprise at the start of the 2025-26 NBA season. Despite not having the services of superstar LeBron James, who has been sidelined with sciatica for the entirety of the season so far, the Lakers have jumped out to a 5-2 start, which is the third-best record in the competitive Western Conference. Only the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs have a better record than the Lakers in the West at this point.
Unsurprisingly, star guard Luka Doncic has been central to success for the Lakers early on. In four appearances so far this season, Doncic is averaging an eye-popping 41.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.3 steals per performance.
Those are obviously stellar numbers, and if Doncic can maintain such production, he’ll assuredly find himself in the thick of the MVP conversation. But, Doncic hasn’t propelled the Lakers to such a solid start all by himself. He’s also been getting some solid help from other players on the roster.
After L.A.’s 130-120 victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday night, Doncic had some high praise for one of those guys: veteran guard Marcus Smart. The Lakers acquired Smart in free agency over the offseason, and after playing against him for so many years, Doncic is happy that the two are finally on the same side.
"It's unbelievable impact. I play against this guy a lot. He was always guarding me, so I know how I feel for the other team,” Doncic said of Smart. “So I'm glad he's on my team, and the impact he has, it's unbelievable. He's been hustling every game, every moment, every minute, every second, so props to him."
Smart had 11 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds a block in the win over Miami. He also recorded his 1,000th career steal, which is an impressive feat. On the season, he’s averaging 9.2 points, 2.8 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals per performance.
More than just the raw numbers though, Smart has also provided the Lakers with veteran leadership and dogged defense that has helped to set the tone for the rest of the team.
Smart has built his entire career off of playing hard, hustling and getting down defensively, and over a decade in, that hasn’t changed. The only difference is now it’s the Lakers who are benefitting from his unique combination of tenacity and experience.