The Los Angeles Lakers won’t have LeBron James with them for at least one to two weeks due to a groin injury. While most experts are worried about how the team will perform without James, former NBA player Chandler Parsons believes it will benefit one player. On Monday, Parsons talked about how the absence of the four-time MVP would help get Luka Doncic into a rhythm.
In the 2024-25 NBA season, Doncic hasn’t found his rhythm on the floor. This is evident in the 11 games he’s played for the Lakers. During that stretch, the 6-foot-6 guard has averaged 24.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.6 assists. The Slovenian star has shot 41.1% shooting from the field and 32.4% from beyond the arc. These are some of the lowest shooting percentages of the five-time All-Star’s career.
Without James, Doncic will have the full rein on offense for Los Angeles. Fans saw it first on Monday, which was the first game the 6-foot-9 forward missed due to injury. The Lakers suffered a 111-108 loss against the Brooklyn Nets and the European star finished the game with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists. The All-Star played 41 minutes, the second time he played at least 40 minutes with his new team.
“I think this is a perfect time,” Parsons said. “I think this is great long term for the rest of the season for Luka to get his rhythm. For him to get going. Obviously, we know he missed some time before he got traded, now he’s coming. He’s kind of trying to get his feet wet, trying to get everybody else involved.
“This is a great opportunity for him to fully have the keys get his legs, get his conditioning all in tip-top shape… I think it might work to their favor.
“Long term, it might help them out that Luka can finally get these for you. A couple of weeks under his belt to play those big minutes, have even more usage rate and continue to continue to get his rhythm back.”
Luka Doncic criticized the officiating during the Lakers-Nets game
For a player who commands physicality and contact, Luka Doncic only had four trips at the charity stripe. The star guard wasn’t happy about how the referees officiated the game and talked about it after the game.
“I’m not gonna say anything…but everyone saw the game and know what happened,” Doncic said.
Overall, the team only had 19 attempts at the free-throw line, while the Nets had 30. The Lakers are now on a two-game losing streak and look to add to the win column on Thursday against the Milwaukee Bucks.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
