LeBron James should be happy the Lakers are Luka Doncic's team now

You do not need a box score to see it. Just watch a couple of possessions, and the shift is palpable.

Luka Doncic has the ball. He is not rushing; he never is. Dribbling up slowly, scanning the court, it already feels like he knows how the possession will end before anyone else does.

That used to be LeBron James.

Now James is off to the side, processing the play unfolding, patiently waiting for his moment rather than trying to force it. Still involved, but not controlling every fraction of a second of the possession. It is a subtle but profound difference you can see the moment you know what to look for.

Nobody else has made much noise about this, either. There was no banner ceremony, no grand proclamation. It just sort of appeared, and it never left. Doncic became a primary handler. Then the primary handler again. Now it seems weird when he is not.

The Los Angeles Lakers now belong to Doncic.

Why the Lakers are Luka Doncic's team now

The proof is in the numbers. In March, Doncic is sitting around 30 points a game with eight boards and eight assists. While not unreal numbers, they are certainly well above average. But that is literally just his default setting, his baseline.

And that is why he is so tricky to write about. The averages do not jump off the page anymore.

One night, he will get 26, and it is barely noticed because he's slicing and dicing them all night. The next night, it is 40-plus, and it looked like he was just playing horse with them. Then there was that 60-point outburst against the Miami Heat earlier in the week.

Simply put, Doncic is running the show in Los Angeles.

Doncic stepping up and being the guy has helped nobody more than James.

For so many years, when they needed a bucket, the formula was simple. Get it to James. He will make something happen. Everyone knew it, especially the opposing team.

That is not the play anymore.

Doncic is the puppet master. He dictates the tempo. He controls the matchups and decides where the help comes from. Doncic controls when the other team finally breaks and collapses. By the time James has the ball, half the work is already done.

That is new for James, and as he is getting older, it takes a lot of the pressure off of him.

James does not have to carry every single thing on his back for 48 minutes anymore. He can move. He can cut. He can wait. Then he can step into his attack at a defense that is already reacting to someone else first.

And that version of James is still dangerous. Probably even more efficient than before.

There is also a bigger picture here, whether people want to accept it or not.

Eventually, the Lakers are going to have to move on from James. This day is coming, sooner or later, and it is not something distant anymore. The real question was what that transition would look like, and based on what we are seeing, it may already be happening.

If James decides to opt out, sign with another team or even retire, the Lakers are not scrambling to figure out what to do. They are handing it off to a guy who has been running the show for over a year now.

James was their answer for years. Now he will see less wear and tear, better quality shots, and the opportunity to pick his spots rather than force them every time things are tight.

So yes, this is Doncic's team right now. And if you are James, this is exactly how you would want to see it.