The Los Angeles Lakers have improved their play since acquiring Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks. Their offense is faster, given how well he can bring the ball down the court with how well he can make outlet passes. Additionally, most of the Lakers shooters are getting more open looks with the way the floor is spaced because of Doncic and LeBron James.
It’s not just Doncic’s addition that has helped the team improve their offense, though. James’ passing often breaks down the opposing team’s defenses, giving his teammates open chances. Also, Austin Reaves has shown he can make intelligent plays and get others involved.
One player who has benefitted from the work of the three stars is Rui Hachimura. This season, he’s getting more open looks because of how well the star trio can dissect the defense.
He’s shooting 41.8% from deep, close to his 42.2% efficiency last season. The Japanese sensation highlighted how well the team is benefitting from the trio, who can all creat open opportunities for the rest of the team.
“Being around those three guys (James, Doncic and Reaves), the fit and we talked about it after the game too,” Hachimura said. “Doe Doe, Gabe (Vincent), myself, I think we can get literally wide open shots every time. For other teams, they have to guard those three guys literally. So, I think that was a great team win and we got to keep building chemistry.”
On Saturday, the Lakers had a 134-127 win against the Memphis Grizzlies. During the game, Los Angeles shot 44.2% from deep as a team. Outside of the Doncic-James-Reaves trio, Hachimura (60%) and Gabe Vincent (66.7%) were the ones who had the most efficient night shooting from the 3-point arc.
LeBron James explains why his Los Angeles Lakers star teammate is special
The Los Angeles Lakers formed an incredible duo with James and Doncic. Although they have similarities on the floor, there are areas where one excels more than the other. With their limited time getting to know each other on the court, they’ve been able to develop chemistry.
In the teaser for the second season of James’ “Mind The Game” podcast, he explained what makes playing with the Slovenian star special.
“Because he plays the game how I always wanted to inspire the next generation to play the game. There’s nothing predetermined. If you have two guys on you, there’s a numbers game. If you have the advantage and there’s a guy that can’t guard you or you’re able to beat him and then a guy traps the box or another guy sinks, I’m able to make the passes or make the reads before they happen,” James said.
What excited LeBron James about getting a chance to play with Luka Dončić?
"He plays the game how I've always wanted to inspire the [next] generation to play the game. There's nothing predetermined."
🎥 @mindthegamepod pic.twitter.com/fDn8Ky3ceP
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 31, 2025
The four-time champion continued to say that he loves playing with athletes like Doncic. He also mentioned his close friend, Chris Paul, as an example of someone who has a high basketball IQ.
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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.
