A second-round NBA Playoffs exit was not the outcome that the Los Angeles Lakers were gunning for. This looked like it could be the year they won but the hand of fate, injuries, and the Oklahoma City Thunder had other plans. A lot of uncertainty now clouds the team. Despite this, Luka Doncic could not help but be thankful for getting the opportunity to play alongside LeBron James and Austin Reaves.
Lakers' Doncic drops heartwarming James and Reaves evaluation
Luka Doncic was not out there in Game 4 to save the Lakers from the Thunder. He got to watch LeBron James and Austin Reaves hold the fort for him but it was to no avail. Now, James is heading to free agency and his future with the Lakers is unsure. Reaves will also be on the last year of his four-year deal which is worth $53.8 million in the next season.
With all of these uncertainties, Doncic was just grateful that he got to play alongside James and Reaves. He outlined all of this after the Lakers' Game 4 elimination, via Dan Woike and Sam Amick of The Athletic.
"This season obviously didn’t end how we wanted. But I feel like the last push we made in the end of the regular season, we thought we were gonna compete for a championship. I think we had a great team, we had great chemistry, and obviously playing with AR and Bron, it’s an unbelievable experience. They are two great players and it was really fun to share the court with them," the Lakers superstar said.
Notably, Doncic suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain just days before the Lakers started their NBA Playoffs campaign. Reaves was also battling a left oblique strain. This meant that James led the Lakers past the Rockets in Round 1. Reaves came back in Game 5 of that first-round series and stayed on until Game 4 against the Thunder.
A lot of what-ifs plague this Lakers squad. But, it was still a marvel to see Doncic, Reaves, and James share a court.
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