The Los Angeles Lakers are doing okay without LeBron James so far in 2026-27. LA entered Sunday with an 8-2 record on the season, tied for the best mark in the NBA.
Luka Doncic has looked like the best player in the world in the early going, and the Lakers are jelling way quicker than anyone could have reasonably expected.
Part of that coming-together could be due to Doncic's louder voice in film sessions this season, as compared with last year. And based on JJ Redick's recent remarks, Luka might feel more at liberty to speak up now that LeBron is on a different team.
LeBron James' exit has given Luka Doncic the floor as the Lakers' vocal leader
Broadcaster Kevin Harlan said the following during the Lakers/Trail Blazers game on Friday night:
"We asked JJ, you know, what is the residual of LeBron being here? He said he appreciated his consistency, and that [it] lingers even with the team now. ... He [also] said, 'Well, now Luka is like LeBron — he is speaking up in film sessions. He didn't before; LeBron did, and he follows LeBron's path.'"
It's not surprising to hear that Luka deferred to LeBron over the past season-and-a-half, given LeBron's status as a top-2 player of all time, and given James being 14 years Doncic's senior.
But sometimes deferring too much, or being too accommodating, isn't productive. While Harlan's anecdote (via Redick) attempted to paint James as someone who left behind a strong legacy in the Lakers' locker room (and that's true), it's hard not to listen to this story and think about LA's complicated pecking order last season. You had Doncic as the team's obvious best player, but you also had a living legend in LeBron in the same locker room. Complicating matters was the fact that LeBron is close friends with Redick.
Luka Doncic can spread his wings as a leader now that LeBron is gone
There's no reported beef (or lamb chops) between LeBron and Luka, but it's not hard to assume that it wasn't an amazing basketball or personality fit on the Lakers. There's undoubtedly immense respect going in both directions between these two players, but Luka's at the point in his career where he needs his own team, and where he needs to be the leader of the wolf pack -- both on the court and in the locker room. LeBron and his larger-than-life personality, without trying to be a problem, may have simply been in the way of Luka fully blooming as a leader and true MVP candidate.
Luka's decision to take the entire Lakers team to Slovenia this summer (on his dime) was a symbolic entrance into this new era of the Lakers being his team, unapologetically. The start of the season has been a continuation of that theme.
Luka's going to do things his way now, without any worry about stepping on people's toes or speaking too loudly. It's a beautiful thing to see on the court, and it's surely an equally reassuring thing to hear inside the Lakers' film sessions.
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