The on-court fit of LeBron James and Luka Doncic was something skeptics were quick to attack when the blockbuster deal to send the Slovenian superstar from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers was announced. About a month later, it is abundantly clear those skeptics were prophesizing doomsday for no reason.
The superstar duo have proven in their sample size to this point that not only can they co-exist, but they can thrive together. The Lakers are 7-2 in the games both James and Doncic have played. They have beaten some impressive teams in the process.
Oddly enough, the two losses in their record both came against lackluster opponents, those being the Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets. Their wins have come against some impressive competition like the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, and Minnesota Timberwolves.
The more the pair play together, the better they have looked adjusting to each other's games and feeding off the other's presence. A lot of the credit for things going as seamlessly as they have should be owed to the old man in the room.
James has made the necessary sacrifice for Doncic
The main reason why skeptics questioned the fit between Doncic and James was due to the offensive end of the basketball court. The two played a similar brand of on-ball basketball and the belief was neither player would fair particularly well away from commanding the offense.
That has proven to be a completely false narrative.
James has shown himself to be more than capable of deferring to Doncic. While the 21-time All-Star has certainly not been ignored in the offense by any means since the arrival of Luka, it is notable that the newer of the Lakers superstars has the higher usage rate in the games where the duo has shared the court.
According to StatMuse, Doncic leads the Lakers in usage percentage (34.7) during the nine games played for the team. James is second with 30.6 percent.
Since the matchup against the Nuggets, where one can draw a clear point of Luka's comfort being established with his new team, the five-time All-NBA selection has looked like the player most recognize as a top five talent in the league.
Doncic has averaged 27.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 8.8 assists in the last six games. The efficiency is starting to get back on track too. 41.9 percent from the field and 33.9 percent from 3-point is still less than people are used to, but those numbers are largely dragged down by two underwhelming shooting performances.
"It’s big-time of him just to kind of hand over a little bit of the ball control," JJ Redick told Lakers Daily of James. "[Him] just playing off ball and being comfortable with that, I think, is huge."
James has quickly dispelled the myth of him being unable to play off the ball. When one recalls his Miami Heat days, it feels somewhat silly to think that narrative had validity to it in the first place.
Granted, recent years have showcased James in a much more heavy on-ball role and there has been less off-ball movement overall from the offenses he has played in. It is understandable how that would have led to the notion emerging. However, it is clear that not only can LeBron still perform that role, but it also leaves him more energy to dominate the game in other areas.
The Lakers are well on their way to title contention in the 2024-25 NBA season. Their ageless wonder that wears 23 has a massive role in that.
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