Sports
LeBron James Officially Hands Lakers Reins to Luka Doncic: ‘He’s Our Franchise’
The 
L.A. Lakers are rolling, sitting in third place in the Western Conference with a 23-11 record, despite navigating significant injury troubles so far.
All three of LA’s core pieces in LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have missed time with various ailments, but that hasn’t slowed down the Purple and Gold yet.
James and Doncic ran wild against the 
New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night, each scoring 30 points in a 111-103 win at the Smoothie King Center.
|
LeBron James & Luka Dončić – Stats vs Pelicans |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats |
LeBron James |
Luka Dončić |
|
Points |
30 |
30 |
|
Rebounds |
8 |
2 |
|
Assists |
8 |
10 |
|
Blocks + Steals |
3 |
3 |
|
Field Goals |
10/19 |
11/22 |
|
3-Point Field Goals |
3/5 |
3/10 |
The Slovenian guard stole the show with some late-game heroics, notably making a seemingly impossible shot down the stretch to extend the Lakers’ lead with the shot clock expiring.
Following the win, James did not mince words in his praise for his younger co-star.
LeBron, Lakers Deferring to Doncic
Speaking to reporters after the win, James was asked how he and his teammates have to adapt to each other’s games in order to be successful. The 41-year-old was quick to answer, claiming that Doncic was the focal point of the team and that everyone defers to him.
“Luka don’t need to bend his game. He’s our 27-year-old franchise for this ball club. It’s up to us to bend our game around him and figure it out.”
The vote of confidence is huge for not only Doncic, but also a number of fans and pundits that worried James would be unwilling to defer to the younger superstar, despite his declining impact on the court.
It’s clear that LeBron is accepting and relishing more of a support role, using his elite basketball IQ and savvy to lead his talented young teammates.
Doncic was just as complimentary towards LeBron in his post-game press conference, praising his longevity with some self-deprecating humor.
“He’s just insane,” the former Mavericks star said. “Probably me at 41, I’ll be limping around.”
Lakers head coach JJ Redick had plenty to say about his star forward as well, commending his leadership and drive.
“Every night he doesn’t have his best stuff, but he has enough to win. Sometimes he tells me to F off, and he calls his own pitch, which is fine too.”
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LeBron James is confident he can co-exist with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, amid the two guards’ career seasons
