The Los Angeles Lakers have officially entered the Luka Doncic era, and the early signs out of training camp suggest the team may have found exactly what its superstar needs around him. For the first time since the 2017-18 season, the Lakers will begin a season without LeBron James on the roster. His departure gave the Lakers a chance to reshape a roster that had been built around James for nearly a decade.
The Lakers didn't spend the summer searching for another superstar to replace James. Instead, Los Angeles surrounded Doncic and Austin Reaves with a collection of players capable of doing some of the dirty work on both ends of the floor. Just two practices into training camp, the Lakers' revamped defense is already making an impression.
Reaves specifically pointed to Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams and Adou Thiero when discussing the defensive talent Los Angeles has assembled. With 7-foot-2 center Walker Kessler protecting the rim behind them, scoring against that group hasn't been easy. "Let me tell you, trying to score on Matisse and Ziaire, especially with Adou out there too, and then Walker on the back line, is not easy," Reaves said to the media on Wednesday.
"I had to deal with that all day yesterday and today and it's not fun." Reaves believes the Lakers' new additions could be exactly what the team needs to take another step toward competing for an NBA championship. "Defensively, we're gonna be much better," he said. "Those guys compete every possession and everybody else fills in their roles and plays the right way.
I see how special we can be." It's only training camp, but these comments are music to the ears of Lakers fans who have been waiting for reasons to believe in this new-look roster. Doncic is now the unquestioned centerpiece of the franchise. The five-time All-Star led Los Angeles to 53 wins during his first full season with the team, won his second NBA scoring title and earned first-team All-NBA honors.
But building around Doncic requires more than adding offensive firepower. The Lakers finished 20th in defensive rating last season and tied for 22nd in blocked shots. Los Angeles also ranked near the bottom of the NBA in rebounding, making defense and size clear priorities heading into the offseason.
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