Luka Doncic, Lebron James and Austin Reaves, Lakers
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Luka Doncic, Lebron James and Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles are committed to work on their chemistry.
NBA insider Chris Broussard made a bold statement that LeBron James may be unhappy playing with Luka Doncic on the Los Angeles Lakers. A recent hot streak sees the Lakers looking like the third best team in the Western Conference and having a realistic chance at playoff success. However, the long-time reporter claims that LeBron historically hates playing with those who have styles like Luka that require a lot of field goal attempts.
Broussard said the following today on First Things First:
“Look, we all talk about how high his basketball IQ is, historically high. There’s no way LeBron is sitting there watching Luka shoot 30 shots and miss two-thirds of them, thinking that’s smart. I’m not saying he has any issue with Luka or anything, but he’s watching this. There’s no way he thinks that’s the best way to play basketball.”
NBA Courtside
Chris Broussard on LeBron being the 3rd option for the Lakers:
“We all talk about how high his basketball IQ is, historically high. There’s no way LeBron is sitting there watching Luka shoot 30 shots and miss 2/3 of them, thinking that’s smart. I’m definitely not saying he has
The quote saw Broussard adding that they don’t have a personal issue, but he doubled down on his point about James. A basketball savant like LeBron often prioritizes team basketball with everyone touching the ball. However, Doncic gets a lot of his points from iso plays and holding the ball for most of the shot clock time at the expense of others.
Broussard Did Provide Hope For Lakers
Despite questioning how James feels about Doncic’s playing style, Broussard made another interesting point that explained why LeBron is content with the offense. The insider believes that James is tapping into what Dwyane Wade did when he joined the Miami Heat. Wade took a backseat to empower LeBron since he had to be the best player for them to win.
Broussard shared this insight about the team dynamic:
“I think he realizes this is the only way they can win if I deplete myself the way Wade did a little bit for LeBron. This is the best way we can win, but he knows that’s not smart basketball. And that’s why, as great as I think Luka is, very few people have ever been better offensively.”
James would be insane to not let Doncic cook and take over games when he’s putting up 35 to 50 points lately. The Lakers keep winning with Luka and Austin Reaves making the most of their iso plays to warrant using this game plan into the postseason.
Will This Impact LeBron’s Offseason Decision?
LeBron will be a free agent this summer, and rumors indicate he must take a pay cut to remain with the team. Los Angeles hopes to add more defenders and shooters to improve the overall depth around Doncic.
If James truly dislikes this playing style, he is more likely to leave for a team like the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland has a more well-rounded offense, despite superstar Donovan Mitchell often having high usage numbers.
Broussard is not wrong about LeBron’s overall basketball opinion, but he also prioritizes winning over everything else. The Lakers winning games behind Luka’s superb play and having a chance to contend for titles are all that matters to James. It is hard to envision LeBron being angry or frustrated with the current Lakers’ hot streak.