Luka Doncic showed up and showed out last night against Denver, in a performance that fully explains why the Lakers thought he was worth the pittance they shelled out for him. In the first quarter he played, he scored 16 points, an amazing performance, putting together a total of 32 in the 23-point victory against the high-scoring offense of the Denver Nuggets. It’s the first time LA has beaten Denver in Denver in nearly three years, a bug that felt the worst in the playoffs when Lebron couldn’t put together enough of a performance to dethrone Jokic and the Nuggets. The Lakers have needed something, anything, to make an impact and make the game easier for their aging stars, and it seems Luka is the magic that they wanted.
The star also put together 10 rebounds, seven assists, and four steals, which cements him as the all-around player that he was promised to be when he joined the league. The man had a major impact in Dallas, but it never felt like it was enough. But in LA?
Who knows.
The Lakers’ victory broke the Nuggets’ win streak, put them back in the win column for the first time in a few weeks, and gave a team that has looked less and less alive the shot they might need to make a late playoff push.
See, this feels like the sort of trade that is too little too late still. There’s a lot more hope in the Lakers now than there was at the beginning of the year, and with AD out, Luka has the energy and the youthfulness to do something but still, the Lakers do not feel like a complete team. Luke has been lethargic in his first three games, and he’s finally made himself relevant but this still feels like a team where Lebron and one minor roleplayer try to make a serious dent in the league.
Lebron used to be able to do that (and did do so in Cleveland for a long, long time), but Lebron is tired now — he’s on the wrong side of 40, and cannot be the man who pushes the whole team to be better. Lebron isn’t that guy anymore, even if he still is a great player.
Which means Luka has to be that guy. And while Luka is good, I don’t know if he’s that guy either. He was in Dallas, but Dallas was a different environment, a much more consistent one. The Mavs aren’t good, but the Mavs aren’t bad. The Lakers don’t feel like they have a soul, and what soul they do have is left on the court every game week on week on week.
Regardless, this move is great for the sport and it’s great for Luka. LA has big lights, and performing like he did in Dallas here might get him the attention he so sorely lacked when he was clearing out statistics in the Lone Star State. I want to see Luka get his flowers, and this might be his best opportunity to do so.
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