If you watched the Lakers dismantle the Mavericks this week, you understand why many people believe Luka’s new team has a chance to go farther in the playoffs this year than his old team did last season.
And there’s only one eventuality that would allow that to happen.
Don’t be fooled. It’s not going down that way.
The Lakers should not be considered one of the NBA title favorites.
The squad we saw thrash the defending Western champs by 15 points was Luka’s team. The return to Dallas was his night, his shining moment for 2025.
But effective about 3 p.m. today, when the regular season ends and the lights get brighter, the Lakers become LeBron’s team. Just like every other team he’s been on for about two decades.
So totally disregard anything you saw earlier in the week.
History tells us pairing Luka with a second star can be successful. The Mavericks are a good example.
Dallas was no better than a 29-26 team when Kyrie Irving played his first game for the Mavericks in February 2023. They looked great that night, rolling to a 13-point win at Utah even with Luka sitting out.
The first time they shared the court, the Mavs were beaten in Sacramento. The dynamic duo combined for 55 points, but it was clear Dallas had changes to make.
They had two great scorers and passers. They needed more complementary pieces.
Over the next 12 months, they went about acquiring them. The version we saw in the NBA Finals last season included a productive center tandem, a stretch power forward and multiple 3-point shooters.
The transformation took time. But when complete, the Mavs, 9-16 with Irving and having missed the playoffs in 2023, enjoyed a 50-win regular season and three rounds of playoff wins before running into the Celtics.
The Lakers appear headed down that same path. At least the first part.
Like the 2023 Mavs, they have no real big man. That’s a problem for two reasons.
First off, the West is loaded with quality bigs. The Thunder have two; the Rockets, Nuggets, Clippers, Timberwolves, Grizzlies and Kings all have one. Somebody is going to have to guard these guys … and it sure ain’t going to be LeBron.
And secondly, Luka needs a defensive goalie. You know, a shot-blocker hanging around the rim for when the guy the chubby dude is assigned to guard dribbles around him and makes a beeline for the hoop.
Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II were godsends for Luka last season. Mark Williams might have been this year as well … until red-flagged X-rays sent him back to Charlotte, leaving the Lakers, uh, with nobody in the net.
Jarred Vanderbilt has been a nice player for the Lakers, except that he can’t shoot and allows an opposing defender to zone up on Luka and LeBron. Another bad fit.
Like the 2023 Mavericks, the Lakers have work to do. And like the 2023 Mavs, two months isn’t nearly enough time to accomplish the major undertaking.
As currently constructed, the Lakers can play two different ways: through Luka and through LeBron. In the former, arguably the greatest player of all time stands around and watches. In the latter, a triple-double machine takes an in-game vacation.
Neither play call is conducive to winning basketball or good relationships.
The Warriors had a similar problem in the 2017 season when they brought the ball-dominant Kevin Durant into their pass-and-cut offense. Some swear Durant uttered, “I don’t do screening,” the first time he was told to “run the offense.”
The Warriors won two titles in Durant’s three seasons, failing only when he and Klay Thompson got injured in the 2019 playoffs. Credit Durant, who sacrificed and had three of the six lowest-scoring seasons of his career, and Steve Kerr, a coach who had already won a title with lesser talent.
Should JJ Redick be mentioned in the same breath as Kerr? Certainly not yet.
And will Luka sacrifice like Durant did? It’s interesting to note that he’s shooting about as much as he did with the Mavericks, and he’s jacking up more 3-pointers.
He had his best game when told to swing for the fences rather than sacrifice. That’s probably the worst thing that could have happened for the Lakers.
Keep an eye on L.A. next season. But this year …
They’ll begin the playoffs with the fourth-lowest odds to walk away with the hardware. Frankly, they’re a better bet to lose in the first round.
