The Los Angeles Lakers' disappointing 108-90 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 continued a tough trend for JJ Redick's team. It marked the fourth playoff game in a row during which the Lakers failed to crack 100 points in the ball game. That has occurred in over half their contests played thus far. To those like LeBron James, the reason for that is obvious.
James was asked about where the offensive issues were coming from for the Lakers after the Game 1 loss. LeBron had to chuckle a bit in his response, immediately bringing up the sizable gap left behind by a certain Slovenian superstar who continues to be missing from the lineup.
"[Where are] the offensive issues coming from? We have a guy that averaged 37 a game. What did he average, 35? What are you asking? There's the issues right there. ... Having a guy that averages 34-6-8 — 8 and 9, whatever the h*** — that's special."
Naturally, James is referring to the absence of Luka Doncic. While Doncic was on the sidelines in support of his team, the street clothes version of himself is not expected to transform into a superhero ready to save the day just yet. The Lakers will need to claw and fight without him.
Lakers finally understood what it truly means to be without Luka Doncic
To James' point, Doncic was an absolute monster on the offensive end for the Lakers this season. Opposing defenses were regularly blitzing Luka to get the ball out of his hands and force someone else to beat them. Missing an MVP-level talent like that matters.
James spoke up about this factor too. LeBron discussed how much value is created from having a guy like that who 'can attract multiple defenders on the floor at all times.' Doncic is the main guy for Los Angeles when it comes to that.
Even though James felt the Lakers got some great looks against the Thunder, they were unable to knock them down. It just so happens that shot-making is also a specialty for a guy like Luka, who won the scoring title for the second time in his career during the 2025-26 season.
The Lakers proved they can get by the Houston Rockets while waiting for the return of their superstar point guard. However, Houston was clearly flawed. The Thunder are very clearly not the Rockets. They are levels above.
As the Lakers continue to wait for a potential Doncic return, they will need to find that offensive spark elsewhere. Their highest scoring game of the playoffs has featured 112 points, and that took overtime. Eventually, they will hope they can do enough for the dam to finally burst on that end. Otherwise, Luka's absence will be the nail in their second-round coffin.
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