The Lakers made the trade heard around the world a few ago weeks acquiring Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks. After the big trade, Los Angeles suffered two embarrassing losses to the worst teams in the Western and Eastern Conference, the Charolette Hornets & Utah Jazz.
The Lakers have now found their way, winning their last eight out of their last 10 games and are playing their best basketball of the season. Their eight-game winning streak was snapped last Saturday when they lost to the Boston Celtics 111-101, and they lost to the Nets last Monday night but despite the losses they appear to be moving in the right direction when they get their injured players back on the court.
LeBron James continues to hold off Father Time although he injured his groin against the Celtics. He is expected to be out for one to two weeks.
Doncic’s magic is truly helping the Lakers look like one of the better teams in the NBA right now. Austin Reaves has emerged as possibly one of the best third options in the NBA and the team is playing defense at a high level.
Whether James is your favorite player or not you have to respect what he has been doing at the age of 40. In the last 10 games that James has played he is averaging 26.4 points on 53.2% shooting from the field and 39.1% shooting from the 3-point range. He is also averaging 9.3 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.2 steals.
“He’s one of the greatest competitors. … He’s amazing to coach,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said after a recent home game. “He brings it every single day. He sets the standard for how you’re supposed to approach this craft and to me, that’s the most incredible thing.” James has been able to lead the Lakers while Doncic settles in with his new team.
Doncic has played well after the shocking trade and is a big reason Los Angeles is performing at an elite level. He is averaging 22 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.8 steals as a Laker. During the eight-game winning streak his numbers have increased to 26.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 7.6 assists and 2.4 steals. „It’s been great,” Doncic said. “The atmosphere has been unbelievable, and we just want to give the people what they want, and that’s winning the games. That’s what we’re doing right now.”
Reaves has been a legitimate third option for the Lakers so far this season averaging career highs in nearly all major categories. He is averaging 19.1 points, 6 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals.
Even with the absence of starter Rui Hachimura the Lakers continue to play at a high level on defense. This is an amazing feat in this era of basketball, especially without players that are not considered to be dominate defensive players.
Since January 15, the Lakers have had one of the best records in the NBA at 20-6. During that time, JJ Redick’s group has produced the No. 1 defensive rating in the NBA, allowing a just 107.5 points per 100 possessions-1.6 fewer than any other team.
“Team defense…our group is committed to it right now,” Redick said. “We have some really good defenders, but you have to play team defense and rely on each other. Just playing hard and competing. You’re trying to capture that every night. This is a team sport, and the group has to be right. More times than not, our group has been right with competitive spirit.”
The team’s superstar players and team defense have the Lakers sitting in third place in the Western Conference with a record of 40-23 with only 19 games remaining. After losing to the Celtics and Nets the Lakers have two games remaining on their current road trip. On Thursday they play the Bucks and Friday they face the Nuggets.