With LeBron James’ immediate future with the Los Angeles Lakers a bit uncertain, one has to wonder how he feels about playing alongside Luka Doncic, especially since Doncic and not James is now the one the organization is catering to.
The Lakers landed Doncic in a seismic trade on Feb. 1, and it seemed to trigger the start of an earnest transition between the two superstars, if not an outright new era. The franchise immediately started to look to build its roster around Doncic, rather than James, and according to an ESPN report, it didn’t offer James a contract extension this summer.
Some have been speculating that James isn’t happy that he isn’t being catered to by his team for the first time in his basketball career.
As far as Doncic is concerned, he has no problem sharing the court with the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. Per Ramona Shelburne, his manager, Lara Beth Seager, said that Doncic enjoys playing alongside James.
“Luka loves playing with LeBron and has learned so much from him. He has nothing but the utmost respect for LeBron and considers it an honor to be his teammate.”
Upon his arrival in L.A., Doncic replaced James as the head honcho of the Lakers’ offense. It has allowed James to conserve his energy more than ever by largely playing off the ball, and it is a role change that could allow James to age even more gracefully than he already has.
Schematically and conceptually, Doncic and James may not be an ideal pairing, but it is one that has championship potential, especially if L.A. upgrades its perimeter defense and rim protection.