The Los Angeles Lakers have seamlessly moved on from LeBron James and flourished under Luka Doncic, and James Worthy thinks it’s down to one thing.
Unlike most teams LeBron James leaves, the Los Angeles Lakers were in a unique position where they had another world-class star ready to take the reins.
Luka Doncic has been a man on a mission this season, and it’s led to a unique situation where the team LeBron James joined and the one he left are both thriving.
James Worthy thinks that the Lakers are not just thriving, but that they are even better than they were under James, and that’s because of one main thing.
James Worthy on Luka Doncic’s Lakers
The Lakers are 10-2 with Doncic seemingly breaking new records every game as his pre-season work is starting to bear fruit.
In addition, Austin Reaves is taking a superstar leap, and the likes of Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton are becoming reliable contributors.
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In their recent game against the Hawks, Sandro Mamukelashvili stepped up with 23 points, shooting 5/8 from 3PT range to hammer home just how deep this team is.
James Worthy, speaking on Spectrum SportsNet, said that the strength in depth of this Lakers team is what makes it so much scarier to face.
He said: “The beauty of this team is that they have different guys that can impact the game at certain times. There were minutes where Sexton had big moments, then Williams’ defence. For the first time in a long time, we’re deep.
“We have a deep team, different guys we can call on. We’re unpredictable, with guys who can get the job done in different areas. That makes us a stronger unit.”
The Lakers were hamstrung with LeBron James
The Lakers won a run with James, but in trying to accommodate him and Anthony Davis, they were hamstrung in constructing a winning roster.
Now that James and Davis are gone, they have built a stronger unit around Doncic, and they have been helped by Reaves shining in the added spotlight.
It is not an indictment of James, who did his part with a championship in Los Angeles, but the current model looks more sustainable for success.
There is a clear superstar, a clear No. 2 who is taking a leap, and a strong supporting cast where everyone excels at different, but specialised roles.
That’s how championship teams are created.
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