Luka Doncic arrival ‘changes everything’ for LeBron James and Lakers, says ex-All-Star

Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas believes that the arrival of Luka Doncic will drastically change the Lakers and LeBron James' performance.

Luka Doncic arrival ‘changes everything’ for LeBron James and Lakers, says ex-All-Star

Luka Doncic now holds the power with Los Angeles Lakers, and not LeBron James

The arrival of Luka Doncic has already changed everything about the Los Angeles Lakers’ future and their outlook on the current season. Adding a 25-year-old superstar who only gets better every season is a cheat code unlike anything else. Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas believes that Doncic will not just impact the Lakers’ future, but change everything for them and LeBron James this season.

Arenas has already stated his excitement to watch Luka Doncic play alongside James in purple and gold. He believes that the way the Lakers have played over the last few years will drastically change with a star like Doncic on the court with LeBron James. While speaking on the Gil’s Arena podcast, he discussed why the Lakers might be the most dangerous team in the league.

Just (Luka) alone changes everything, because how he plays the game. He plays inside outside, he don’t settle much… so when he gets in his element, he’s going to cause havoc itself, which is going to make, naturally, the game easier on LeBron, because he gets to drive, no one’s going to help.

Gilbert Arenas said on his podcast
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Gilbert Arenas couldn’t have put it any better. The Lakers looked like a completely different squad in Doncic’s first game in the purple and gold. While the Slovenian star did not put his best foot forward for the Lakers after returning from injury, he changed the entire look of the Lakers’ offense on the floor.

The immense attention that he commands on the floor opened up the game for everyone else on the Lakers roster, especially LeBron James. The four-time champion finished with a game-high 24 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists in just 29 minutes without having to as much as break a sweat.

Over the last few years, he has commanded much of the attention on offense for the Lakers. However, Luka Doncic’s addition will now prevent teams from loading up on James when he gets the ball on the perimeter.

Gilbert Arenas believes Luka Doncic is the perfect successor to LeBron James

LeBron James has always been the perfect superstar for LA. The Lakers have always boasted of being the hosts to some of the biggest and most marketable superstars in the league, vis a vis – Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson. This is why Gilbert Arenas felt that a star like Anthony Davis just wasn’t the right fit in a Lakers squad which would soon have to pass on the keys to their franchise from an ageing James.

You think we’re going to be sitting here telling [Kobe Bryant] to take the keys? No, they would’ve been took them m*therf***ers. Either you want it or you don’t. There’s no giving it to you. You have to take it.

Gilbert Arenas said on his podcast

Luka Doncic, on the other hand, in Arenas’ eyes, is the perfect superstar to fit in Los Angeles. Doncic has always been amongst the league leaders in jersey sales, and has rapidly become one of the future faces of the league with his large international fanbase. All of these elements make him perfect to market in one of the biggest franchises in the NBA.

Doncic has consistently been one of the most formidable forces in the league when healthy. Even when he isn’t completely healthy, for that matter, Doncic seems nearly unstoppable. This was evidenced by him leading the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season while dealing with injuries to his knee. Given all this, the Slovenian superstar might be the perfect successor to LeBron James for the Los Angeles Lakers.