Luka Doncic Appreciates LeBron James Letting Him Be Himself

From the moment the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Luka Doncic, there were questions about how he and LeBron James would work together. Both are outstanding talents with incredible basketball IQs who are used to operating with the ball in their hands as the primary creator.

There were also rumblings about possible tension between the two as the Lakers began moving away from James as the face of the franchise with Doncic now on the roster, but he insists that wasn’t the case. In an interview with Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, Doncic spoke on how much he enjoyed playing with James while still insisting that the Lakers could’ve made more noise in the playoffs last season had he and Austin Reaves been healthy:

“He just let me be me, and I really respect that,” says Doncic. “And the way he approached the game with us, it was unbelievable. It was very respectable. I had so much fun playing with him. And, like I said, I think we could have made some noise in the playoffs if me and AR don’t get injured. I think we had a chance.”

At the time Doncic and Reaves went down, the Lakers were playing their best basketball of the season and that was in large part due to James accepting and thriving in a new, more off-ball role. Whether they could’ve taken out the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs still seems unlikely, but they surely would have put up more of a fight than the sweep that ultimately occurred at the hands of the Thunder.

Regardless, Doncic has again made it clear that there were never any issues between himself and James and he has been nothing but complimentary of him since he announced that he wouldn’t be returning to the Lakers and would be joining the Philadelphia 76ers. There may have been some issues between James and the Lakers franchise overall, but Doncic truly enjoyed playing with James and is thankful of the time the two had together in purple and gold.

Luka Doncic doesn’t feel any added pressure being face of the Lakers franchise

Of course with James gone, there is no question about who is the face of the Lakers as Doncic clearly holds that mantle now. And with that comes extra pressure to deliver on the championship expectations this franchise is known for. But Doncic doesn’t feel any of that pressure and is embracing his role as the leader of the Lakers.