It’s no secret that Luka Dončić is an amazing player. If he retired today, he would be a first ballot Hall of Famer.
Luckily for the Lakers, Luka is far from retiring and is just entering his prime.
This season, he’s averaging an NBA-best 33.8 points per game and recently demonstrated that offensive dominance in LA’s win over Chicago. Luka scored 46 against the Bulls, making it his second-highest point total of the season for the Slovenian.
While the LA has had its share of ups and downs this season, Luka has been fairly consistent. He’s the team’s leader and its best player. After the game, Lakers head coach JJ Redick talked about what makes Luka so great.
“He’s an engine that’s fully on,” Redick said. “He likes to create out there and that’s part of what makes him a great player. I think because I played with him, I have a pretty good understanding of that. Not to say it doesn’t test your patience at times. But you have to be willing to live with some of the stuff tries because more often than not, you’re going ot get a great result. He had some great passes. He made some amazing shots. There’s that creative element that he needs to thrive and you’ve got to allow that.”
Luka has a ton of Kobe Bryant in him, meaning he’ll, at times, take more than his fair share of shots and can be an offensive disruptor in a negative way.
It’s why Redick has publicly mentioned that the Lakers need to trust each other offensively. Considering that Luka is the team’s primary ball handler, it’s on him to be better at those decisions and not get caught up taking 10-plus field goals in the first quarter while the rest of his peers watch.
Still, the good far outweighs the bad when talking about Luka’s game.
He might ball hog more than one likes, but he also sees openings no one else does. His skip passes are dazzling, and with how teams guard him, there is always an open man. And more often than not, Luka can find that player for an easy basket.
There is literally no way to stop Dončić if he wants to score. If teams play him straight up, he’s going to torch them. When opposing teams blitz, he either makes the pass or wills his way into the paint anyway, drawing contact and reaching the foul line, where he leads the league in free throw attempts.
It’s because of his Luka magic that the Lakers are on pace to be a 50-win team even though two of their top players have missed significant time.
So, Redick does what all good coaches do with elite talent. You give them some grace, a bit more rope, and try to balance maximizing what they are good at with taming their flaws in the ways you can.
No player is perfect, but the future is bright with Luka in a purple and gold uniform. His engine is always on, and as long as it is, the Lakers will continue heading in a positive direction.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.