Luka Doncic-LeBron James partnership reminds ex-All-Star of another championship-winning Lakers duo

Superstars Luka Doncic-LeBron James were expected to have problems playing together for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Luka Doncic-LeBron James partnership reminds ex-All-Star of another championship-winning Lakers duo

Luka Doncic-LeBron James are equally effective as Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant

When Luka Doncic was a part of the Dallas Mavericks, many placed him as a top 5 player in the league. The same can be said about Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James even though he is playing in his 22nd season.

When the tremor inducing trade happened, the first problem the likes of Charles Barkley mentioned was that the Slovenian will have a rough start to his new career. Some agreed as any player takes time to adjust to new schemes and teammates.

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But when they played against the Denver Nuggets, head coach JJ Redick flipped the script. He made Luka Doncic the primary playmaker and made LeBron James a free roaming scorer. That helped them win against their Kryptonite, showing the world that the team can adapt.

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This new scheme has resulted in five straight wins. Their last two wins saw them adjust to play without some players. But even then, the duo of Doncic and James was exemplary. Watching how this unfolded gave Gilbert Arenas some flashbacks.

This reminds me of Shaq and Kobe. Everybody game plan was to double Shaq, and then Kobe became a God. Now its like ‘Oh s**t, what do we do now?’ If you are doubling him (Doncic), now LeBron James is open on the weak side or get to play one-on-one.

Gilbert Arenas said

The former All-Star added that it will be interesting to see how teams gameplan against this Los Angeles Lakers duo. Now a team have to deal with defending two stars who constantly demand double teams. Leaving one open, allows the other to execute. That was what helped Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant win three straight NBA titles.

Luka Doncic and LeBron James face tough schedule

The duo of Luka Doncic and LeBron James have shown so far that they are unstoppable. But that sample size is all of five games. Those five games though are part of their toughest stretch of games that continue until the end of the season.

For instance, post the All-Star break, the Los Angeles Lakers had thirty games left. Out of those thirty games, twenty-three are against playoff teams. The most important task the duo and their teammates have is to ensure they come out of this run with a decent record.

If they lose a lot of games, they might dive down to the play in spots, something HC JJ Redick does not want. The men in purple and gold might be second in the West, but this stretch could push them into mistakes.

If they keep their effort levels high, there is a good chance the team can finish in the upper half of the West’s playoff ladder. Gilbert Arenas might have seen enough from the NBA’s newest dynamic duo to feel good about their chances.