The Los Angeles Lakers are on a roll after trading center/power forward Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic.
Even though they lost the first three games with Doni (to the Utah Jazz and the Charlotte Hornets), they have won seven straight.
The Lakers are currently in second place of the Western Conference, with the league’s best record (19-4) and the top-ranked defense (107.9 points allowed per 100 possessions) since January 15. A big reason of that is Luka Doncic‘s ability to get downhill and kicking the ball out to open shooters.
Luka looks detached from a Lakers huddle
ESPN senior writer Brian Windhorst shared what he believes is the main concern for the Los Angeles Lakers in regards to Luka Doncic‘s future with the team. According to the analyst, this topic could become a big issue for the home that Magic and Kobe built.
“The pressure is on the organization between now and August 2nd to get Luka to sign that extension. That’s where the pressure is.” Windhorst said. He has a great point: Luka never wanted to be a Laker and was looking forward to have a long careeer with the Dallas Mavericks.
And that became clear with a video recently posted on social media, where we see a detached Doncic on the bench by himself while the rest of the Lakers are in a huddle during an intense game. The Slovenian player would rather be somewhere else, anywhere else, but with a Laker uniform.
Luka and the Lakers could make a run this season
Even if Luka Doncic decides not to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers, he and superstar LeBron James can still make a run this year and contend for a title. Doni has the size and strength to make simple cross-court passes for in-rhythm shots before those defenders can recover back out.
The Lakers are one of two teams with a league-high 22 games left on their schedule. And it’s the second toughest remaining schedule regarding cumulative opponent winning percentage, with 14 of the 22 against teams currently over .500. They’re 19-12 (fourth best) within that group thus far.
If the Lakers remain in second place of the Western Conference, they would most likely face a team like the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Sacramento Kings or even the Dallas Mavericks. Los Angeles would be contenders, either way, and that’s great news for the NBA and basketball fans all around the world.
Read the full article here
