Evaluate Luka Dončić in the Lakers offensive … so far

Luka Dončić passed with Jordan Clarkson from the right slot, attracting two additional Utah jazz defenders. As Dončić seemed to run out of real estate, he shot a pass not looked, right -handed and behind the back to an Austin Reave relocation in the left slot for a 3 wide one.

The pass was ridiculous: a subtle movement of the wrist that sent the ball back while driving in the opposite direction against two defenders. It is the type of ten cents that can be executed less than 10 players in the history of the NBA (with one of them being the new teammate of Dončić, LeBron James).

This is the type of passage that, once acclimatized to the offensive system of the Los Angeles Lakers and Dončić’s team trends, will raise the ninth offensive to greater heights.

Through two games with the Lakers, Dončić has an average of 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 40.7/26.7/50.0 The shooting divisions in 23.5 minutes. It is in a restriction of minutes, up to 30 minutes, although both games in which he played were explosions, so his averages for 36 are more in line with their career brands: 23.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 6.1 assists.

Of course, those numbers and percentages are reduced. The percentage of 3 points of Dončić is something misleading, since several grenades have been delivered, possessions where he receives a pass with less than five remaining seconds on the shooting clock, and has had to throw 3s-contemplated or disputed 3s. After being lost six weeks due to a left veal voltage and be treated in One of the most shocking trades in the history of the NBAIt is understandable that Dončić does not resemble himself when making his debut in the Lakers.

It is difficult to obtain too much from a house and house series against the Jazz of Utah, which occupies the 28th place in the league in defensive qualification and has an eye on the top of the NBA Draft of 2025. The Lakers coach, the Lakers coach, JJ Redick, said during the round trip that jazz are mainly a Switch defense, which co -traded the Lakers in mismatch against their slower and more weak defenders.

That plays in Dončić’s strengths, since it could be said that she is the best pick-And-Roll practitioner in the league. Add your knowledge of the actions and concepts of the Lakers, and the Los Angeles offensive was relatively simple when it was on the floor.

In the first two games, most of Dončić’s offensive possessions left the actions of Pick-And-Roll with Jaxson Hayes or Reaves to attack Walker Kessler or Clarkson, respectively. To attack Utah in a similar way, the Lakers also ran to Dončić from the weak broad pins with Hayes such as the screen, creating opportunities for Dončić to get downhill to score, create a separation for the 3 passing or quickly find Hayes for Hayes for A lob.

In this example, the Lakers perform their tissue action with Reaves throwing the ball to James, and James waits for Dončić from the Hayes screen. Dončić immediately fails a Lob pass so that defender Keyonte George out of balance while slowing down and knives through the defense of jazz for a tray.

This is the same action with Dončić recognizing that Clarkson has moved towards him, and there is a clear angle for a alley for the Rolling Hayes.

The Lakers run this set with an empty corner on the side of Dončić-Hayes, so it is more difficult for a defender to rotate and protect the edge (and if one does, Rui hashimura is open in the opposite corner, than It is an easy pass for Dončić).

One of Dončić’s greatest impulse to Lakers is the constant pressure that applies to defenses. It can attack from any angle and is a threat to score or generate a high percentage appearance for a teammate from anywhere on the floor. It has needed more of that with James and Reave to the only Lakers capable of constantly penetrating and pressing the edge and paint.

In this possession, the Lakers seek to point to Clarkson when having the Dončić screen for Reaves in the correct slot, forcing the switch. Dončić goes to the right wing and receives the ball. Decisively supports Clarkson in the middle of the painting, attracts John Collins as the closest help defender and turns to shoot James’s kick in the opposite corner.

It is possible that this aspect has not been as elegant as the pass behind the back to Reaves, but required a similar level of mapping of the court and laser the ball beyond the four defenders in the painting.

Of course, Dončić does not even have to cross the 3 -point line to be a threat. It has become one of the main 3 -point shooters of the game and has already hit a couple with the Lakers. His first basket in Los Angeles was a triple step on Kessler.

This is the type of shot that Dončić can create at any time with his capacity for management, strength and ability to separate.

Dončić is shooting only 31.4 percent in the 3rd step this season, a race brand in more than 4 percent. He was shot 36.7 percent or better in those shots in each of the last three seasons, including the best 40.1 percent of his career in 2023-24. That story suggests that its depression of the season is more an aberration, and it is due to the progress of being a 3 -point shooter above average.

The Lakers are only scratching the surface of their offensive potential with Dončić. With him on the floor, they are scoring 116.7 points per 100 possessions, more than the average of his season and the equivalent of the offensive of the seventh classification this season. That should only improve and eventually push closer to the 120 -point ring per 100 possessions.

As Dončić learns the play book, practices and play with their teammates more and earn more experience in actions of two and three men with James and Reaves, the Lakers should press to be an offensive of the first three that you Give the opportunity to win home. Judicial advantage in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

(Photo of Dončić and Lauri Markkanen: Jamie Sabau / NBAE through Getty Images)