The NBA is still buzzing about the Luka Doncic trade to the Lakers. Players and executives around the league can’t believe that he now plays for the Lakers instead of the Mavericks.
Doncic finally made his debut with Los Angeles on Monday against the Jazz. He was able to score 14 points, grab five rebounds, and dish out four assists.
It wasn’t Doncic’s best game, but he hadn’t played since he was with the Mavericks on Christmas Day. He suffered a calf injury, which is something that can linger.
Doncic missed about a month and a half with the injury. He was limited to just 24 minutes in his first game with the Lakers, but that was mostly due to the fact that the game was out of hand.
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Prior to the game against Utah, Doncic was listed as questionable for this game due to his calf injury; however, he has been upgraded to available and will start.
Redick said that LeBron and Reaves are both available to play (Doncic was upgraded to probable earlier).
Expect them to start alongside Hayes and Hachimura, with Vanderbilt, Knecht, Len, Goodwin and Milton playing off the bench.
Finney-Smith and Vincent are out.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) February 13, 2025
Los Angeles is going to be focused on staying healthy for the rest of the season, but they are comfortable enough to start him in tonight’s game.
The Lakers no longer have a starting center that they can rely on now that Anthony Davis is in Dallas. The rescinded trade with Mark Williams now leaves them with Jaxson Hayes as their starter for the rest of the season.
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Los Angeles has to figure out what they can do at the center spot that best benefits Doncic and LeBron James moving forward. Hayes is a good lob threat, but he’s not a great defender.
Defense immediately becomes the concern now that they have Doncic as one of their starting guards. He is one of the worst defenders in the league.
That didn’t seem to bother them in the first game with Doncic. That’s something they will figure out after the All-Star break.
Doncic is averaging 27.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 7.7 assists per game this season.
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