These last two back-to-back games for the Los Angeles Lakers could not have gone more differently for Luka Doncic. Make no mistake about it, that's a good thing.
Granted, the type of performance that Doncic had against the Golden State Warriors cannot be classified as good. The Lakers superstar was underwhelming offensively, scoring only 19 points while shooting a disappointing 6-of-17 from the field. Luka, himself, knew that was not how the best player on the Lakers should be showing up for big games.
"That performance from me is unacceptable," Doncic told the media after the Warriors game. "When I play like that, it's hard to win so [I] gotta figure it out."
The encouraging part of the equation here, and what makes the collective two-game stretch a good one for the Lakers guard, is how Doncic responded to the poor performance.
Doncic proves he can lead the Lakers against the Pelicans
Luka took ownership and owned every bit of the loss against the Warriors. For a ball game that turned into a track meet in the second half, having your best offensive talent come up short hinders your chances of winning significantly. That should be obvious.
While the stage against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night certainly cannot be compared to that of a primetime matchup against the Warriors, it is still tremendous seeing Doncic get back into form so quickly and decisively.
The Lakers got off to a slow start in the first quarter against the Pelicans. The Lakers point guard was a part of that. Doncic opened the game shooting 0-of-7 from the field. However, that would soon become a thing of the past.
Doncic got up to 13 points by halftime. The final stats from the game looked even sweeter. The Slovenian superstar finished the night with 35 points, six rebounds, and six assists. The Lakers confidently won the game 124-108. That result, in itself, snapped a brief three-game losing streak to sub .500 teams, which was equally encouraging.
Seeing Doncic bounce back so quickly and notably, after the comments following the Warriors game, tell anyone watching everything they need to know about his leadership abilities.
The Lakers, as currently constructed, do not have a lot of room for Luka to have too many off nights. That's the reality of an imperfect roster that was greatly altered before the NBA trade deadline.
Los Angeles needs Doncic to be his All-NBA caliber self every night to solidify their status as contenders in the 2024-25 season. Luka clearly understands that and is more than willing to accept the pressure that comes with being the Lakers' best player. Seeing as the NBA Playoffs are just a couple of weeks away, these are the moments that inspire faith before a postseason run.