The Lakers Have a Luka Doncic PROBLEM
The Los Angeles Lakers made an all time trade getting Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks last year to pair with LeBron James and Austin Reaves in order to bring championship basketball back to LA. One year later, the Lakers are not in NBA title contention and this summer looms large as one where Rob Pelinka and the Lakers really need to get it right to make this team a contender before things get a bit scary with Luka Doncic.
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#nba #lakers #lukadoncic
0:00 – Intro
0:52 – The Luka Trade one year later
2:34 – The clock is ticking to contend
4:04 – This is a critical summer ahead
8:16 – They have to execute perfectly
10:32 – This is the Luka Doncic Problem
14:39 – Outro
28 Comments
I'll say what ThreeCone is afraid to say. Luka is impossible to win with, he will retire ringless, he will never win as the primary option and is only a top 8 player in the league, not a top 3 or top 5.
I'm a LBJ fan but Reaves and Luca were awesome at the beginning of the season before he came back.
Lukas trash defense is invisible to his fans! He gives up the same amount of points on defense as he scores
Calling a player with 37-7-8 and having 47% FG a problem is diabolical.
Time will prove Luka is overrated😂but you won't be able to tell Laker fans because you're in the fuck-around-and-find-out faze
Half the roster is still from the AD era. With AD they needed guys who could create their own shots like Rui, Reaves, Gabe, and even Dalton. AD would cover for their defensive weaknesses but none of those players are suited to play with Luka. With Luka you dont need to be a shot creator, you need to be able to play defense and just hit open shots.
trade luka for AD and Max Christie
Drexler to the Rockets in 95 and they won a ship. Ja
It's amazing how he doesn't adress the elephant in the room: lebum james
What star would want to play with Luka jacking up 23 shots per-game every year… Laker fans has some karma days coming
They made the deal to get gambling in Texas. That was what the deal was about. Lakers need to get rid of Lebron and Brodie, take that 60 million and get 4 good players.
Like many other pundits, 3Cone is speaking in ihndsight:
– Luka does not get in shape without the shame of being dump traded and losing out on $100M. The Mavs tried for almost 7 years to get him to change his offseason habits. In his final season in Dallas, the Mavs assembled the most talented team in the Luka era. Yet, Luka showed up in the worst shape of his career. He also did not listen to coaching. The organization, not just NIco, lost faith in him.
– At age 26, Luka is no longer the agile, dynamic scorer that he was early on with the Mavs. More step back 3's, more foul baiting, and the lowest attempts of shots at the rim.
– He is useless without the ball. Soft screen setter at best. No cutting to the basket. He just stands still.
Lakers have an aging-dinosaur-eating-up-their-salary problem.
3:50. Is it really though? The offense feels so stagnant and strugglish damn near every game and just stars (mainly Luka) taking shit tons of shots. As a laker fan I don't see why people say the offense is just so elite when we get blown out or struggle to score so often
the only center I see worth signing in free agency is vucevic, as a 1-2 year stopgap.
Nah, Luka is the problem. He's lights out offensively, but number 1 in tunrnovers, shoots the most fgs a game, and more from the 3 point line, but only shooting 32 percent from 3. So a lot of wasted possessions, and on top of that one of the worst defensive liabilities. I'd choose SGA over Luka, Cade Cunnigham over Luka, Jamal Murray over Luka, Tyrese Haliburton over Luka. So many other guards I'd want on my team before Luka because of those liabilities that are too crucial.
LeBron needs to leave first.
I don’t trust Rob Pelinka at all, I really hope the new owner gives him a swift kick in the ass out of the front office, or let’s him stay there with 0 power
Luka Giannis would be insane.
Luka problem… blabla
Bullllshiiiiiit
I honestly don't think Rob Pelinka will build a good team around him, to me Rob Pelinka just seems kinda dumb.
Luka will NEVER win a championship with the Lakers. Pelinka is an idiot, and Luka is a ball hog, slow, and has no defense. He also has a low motor, and pouts. AR is nothing more than a poor man Luka. Dribbling with his head down, and foul baiting!
Lakers offseason idea: in order for this to work they need to renounce all their free agents cap holds except reaves (they can keep him due to low cap hold)
Trade: vanderbilt, knecht, 2026 first (tradeable draft night), and 2032 first for bam adebayo
Reasoning: bam adebayo demands out or something and in this deal miami get s alot of cap relief since vando and knecht is roughly 16 mil vs bams 49.8 mil this offseason plus bams extension rises into the late 50s later on and his contract isnt the most pretty. So not only does miami get immediate but also long term relief. Take a flier on knecht who dosent have much value, vando dosent either but can be a alright bench guy plus the picks.
Lakers get a third option and the center they desperately need that can be a lob threat, mobile great defender, can playmake and handle a little and work pick and roll with high level creator in luka will look like piece of cake. Not to mention austins fantastic 2nd option. Lakers get that star to help luka compete rn
I personally don’t get the Rob slander. Guy proved he could draft and put together a decent young core before LeBron. Hart, Kuzma, Lonzo (pre injury), Ingram, Randle, Jordan Clarkson, Zubac. They were up and coming when LeBron came in then Rob made really good win now moves, they won. Then those win now guys got hurt the following year and Bron publicly forced them into the Westbrook trade. Guy then had all their money and assets wrapped up in Westbrook, AD, LeBron and performed a miracle flipping Westbrook and guys for pieces in their WCF run. Now he gets shamed for not making win now moves by LeBron and ESPN when he’s trying to recoup assets and money to build around Luka
Still waiting for the Timberwolves have a Chris Finch problem video
This offseason is big for them. LeBron's contract finally expires and they'll have a boatload of cap space. Pretty much the last chance for Pelinka to make it right
Are you kidding? Pelinca fleeced the Jazz for Westbrook, Hachimura for Kendrick Nunn, Luka for AD, and now got Ayton and Smart.
The NBA may have rigged the trades for them but I never saw Pelinca losing trades.
And what did you say is the problem with Luka? Sounds more like it's a supporting cast problem.
I would take Cooper Flagg over Luka every single time