New Faces, Same Questions: Did Lakers Get Better?

For years, the Lakers’ offseason question has been simple: What can we do to help LeBron James chase one more ring?

This summer? That question’s shifted and so has the spotlight.

Steve Aschburner of NBA.com laid it out better than anyone. Namely, this is looking more and more like Luka Dončić’s team.

Yes, LeBron James is still LeBron. He’s still defying logic, putting up 24.4 points per game at age 40, still the face of the franchise in many ways. But as Aschburner wrote, the Lakers are slowly — maybe even quietly — moving toward a future that revolves around Dončić.

That future might be arriving sooner than expected.

Aschburner noted that Dončić not only seems more focused, but he’s physically transformed.

He’s dropped weight, added muscle, and looks like someone ready to carry a team deep into the postseason.

The knock on him in Dallas wasn’t about talent. It was conditioning and leadership. Those knocks are fading fast.

The Lakers apparently didn’t see a problem. They saw a chance to land a generational talent who just needed a new environment.

And Dončić? He seems to know it’s his show now.

Aschburner pointed out that Luka was the one recruiting free agents this summer — not LeBron. Just ask Marcus Smart, who credited Dončić directly for bringing him to L.A.

“When Luka reached out and said he wanted me, that he needed my help… it meant everything,” Smart said.

Aschburner added that LeBron wasn’t even mentioned in the press conference until afterward, and even then, only in passing.

That’s not a slight. It’s just a shift.

The Lakers have changed. They brought in Smart. They’re giving it a go with Deandre Ayton, a longtime Dončić friend who still has untapped potential.

They like Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves, and they think Dalton Knecht can play. They added Jake LaRavia, too. Quietly, the roster looks a lot more like Luka’s guys than LeBron’s guys.

And unlike recent years, there’s no coaching drama. No Russell Westbrook saga. No trade rumors hovering over everything.

Just hoops.

The Lakers still need LeBron. But like Aschburner said they may be better off letting Dončić lead and asking LeBron to support. Flip the script. Turn the page. Make it his team.

And based on how Luka looks and sounds this summer?

That plan might just work.