{"id":124830,"date":"2025-02-20T14:17:55","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T19:17:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=124830"},"modified":"2025-02-20T14:17:55","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T19:17:55","slug":"lebron-james-pinpoints-luka-doncics-slow-start-with-lakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/20\/lebron-james-pinpoints-luka-doncics-slow-start-with-lakers\/","title":{"rendered":"LeBron James Pinpoints Luka Don\u010di\u0107’s Slow Start With Lakers"},"content":{"rendered":"

There should be no surprise; rust and comfortability play a part when a player returns to an NBA floor after a hiatus of several weeks.\u00a0<\/span>Luka\u00a0Don\u010di\u0107<\/span><\/a>‘s start with the\u00a0<\/span>Los Angeles Lakers<\/span><\/a>\u00a0has not exactly hit the ground running. If you’ve watched the first three games Luka has laced up for, there has been no takeoff whatsoever. The former Maverick’s superstar pinpoints it to rust, and rightfully so.\u00a0Don\u010di\u0107 has not played real basketball since December 25th, the same day he got injured. However, while rust certainly plays a role in the sluggish start, there are other factors that\u00a0<\/span>LeBron James<\/span><\/a>\u00a0pointed to that should be considered. <\/span><\/p>\n

LeBron James Pinpoints Luka Don\u010di\u0107’s Slow Start With Lakers<\/h2>\n

Luka Don\u010di\u0107’s Rough Beginnings with Lakers Come Down to Time and Adjusting<\/h3>\n

After the 100-97 loss to the Charlotte Hornets Wednesday night, the Lakers first game following the All-Star break, Luka admitted to still feeling rusty. You can see it in his game\u2014the second game against the Utah Jazz and then against Charlotte\u2014his legs are just not there. This was something that ESPN’s NBA senior writer\u00a0<\/span>Brian Windhorst highlighted on\u00a0<\/span><\/a>First Take<\/span><\/a><\/em>\u00a0this morning<\/span><\/a>. He pointed to the fact that Luka is standing around on the floor and continuing to give the ball up to either LeBron or\u00a0<\/span>Austin Reaves<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0However, while the legs are a definite issue, there are others that LeBron highlighted in the postgame media session (<\/span>Twitter link<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s his 3rd game since Christmas, and it\u2019s his 3rd game with us. He still doesn\u2019t know all the plays, all the defensive coverages, and all the signals that we\u2019ve built since September. Obviously, we\u2019re trying to fast-track it on the fly. He\u2019s coming back from his injuries, getting back into form, so we\u2019re all working through it together.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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“It deflated us a bit, losing a big piece like that.”<\/p>\n

LeBron James speaks with the media on Austin Reaves’ ejection, and some other topics after the Lakers’ 100-97 loss to the Hornets. pic.twitter.com\/c5Amq4Ck8g<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) February 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n