LeBron James Maximizing Luka Dončić’s Effectiveness

Since the big trade, everything we’ve seen from the Los Angeles Lakers superstar duo of LeBron James and Luka Dončić has changed many minds. When the trade first went down, and the Lakers dropped two consecutive games to the Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets, there were voices within the NBA media that cautioned against hyping up the Lakers too much. That was mostly due to Luka needing time to fit in with his new club. However, others questioned whether Luka and LeBron could even play together, never mind Luka playing in Los Angeles. Now, the debate about whether Luka is LeBron’s most effective teammate ever over Dwayne Wade and even Anthony Davis has picked up steam. If you ask James about the connection he and Dončić are forming, it appears to be all about maximizing Luka’s greatness and effectiveness.

LeBron James Maximizing Luka Dončić’s Effectiveness

New Lakers Duo LeBron James and Luka Dončić Are Creating A Seamless Fit

Whatever slights or critiques the Dallas Mavericks threw Luka’s way to justify the reasoning behind the trade, at least in the short term, Luka is shutting them up. While it took a few games for the Slovenian superstar to find his game after a lengthy absence, he’s cooking now, and Lakers previous two games against the Nuggets and Mavericks prove it. On top of that, he and LeBron have already built a solid connection on the floor. That connection was backed by James’s comments earlier in the week when he compared his and Luka’s connection to that of a quarterback and wide receiver. James took the receiver’s mantle and graciously labeled Luka as the quarterback. Suffice it to say that the analogy works.

Following last night’s 107-99 victory over Dallas, LeBron again spoke about his connection with Luka on the floor and how they complement the rest of the Lakers squad as a duo. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin caught LeBron’s comments in a post-game media session.

“I’ve worked on my outside shot and my catch-and-shoot game for quite a while now to be able to sync up with someone like Luka…That’s a beautiful thing,” James said. “And for our guys to have two guys that are like Luka and myself always trying to find guys and pinpoint guys, I think it’s going to be beneficial for us.”

The Keys Belong To Dončić Now

How James formulated his words might give the impression that he’s been expecting to play with Luka for a while now. Of course, I’m sure he didn’t mean it in that sense. The prospect of teaming with Luka likely never truly made the rounds in LeBron’s mind. Steph Curry, though, well, that’s another thing altogether. Nevertheless, LeBron already looks intent on playing around Luka’s skillset, maximizing his effectiveness and playing style. If the one looking to maximize your greatness is greatness himself, LeBron, you’re in good hands.

How the two superstars continue to fare with one another will only get further tested as March kicks off in a few days. The schedule ahead for the Lakers is no picnic, as they have several key matchups against some excellent teams. You can go ahead and circle their two head-to-heads with Denver on March 14th and 19th. By then, Luka and LeBron will have a month together under their belts.