Stephen A. Smith has given his opinion on Luka Doncic taking over as the face of the Lakers franchise from LeBron James.
The 26-year-old moved to LA in a blockbuster deal that not many saw coming.
Although it was difficult for him to process initially, Luka Doncic has settled in well to life as a Laker.
He struggled with conditioning, but the Slovenian put in the work during the offseason and looks like a new version of himself.
Doncic signed a three-year extension with the Purple and Gold, which means that he is set to lead the way after LeBron James’ exit from the team, likely after the end of the 2025-26 season.
Stephen A. Smith believes the Lakers obliged all of James’ demands
James’ free agency move to the LA Lakers in 2018 was a franchise-defining moment as the team had not been performing well in previous years.
His first season saw him miss a lot of games due to injuries, but things started to look positive in the 2019-20 season.
James led the franchise to their seventeenth championship and it seemed like they had the roster to add a few more.
But after a second-round exit in the 2020-21 season, some important players were traded to add Russell Westbrook to the roster.
Smith explained how the Lakers agreed to all of James’ demands during his time with the franchise, but revealed it was time for him to hand over the reins to Doncic.
He said: “You won a championship in the bubble. Kyle Kuzma did not have to be going after that, Alex Caruso didn’t have to be going after that, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and others didn’t have to be going after that.
“We might look at them now and say, ‘Okay that’s past,’ Certainly not in the case of Caruso, he’s just won a title in Oklahoma City. But in the immediate aftermath of that championship, you still needed those cats; you wanted your boy Russell Westbrook, what did the Lakers do? They gave you your boy.”
“You wanted coaches gone, what did they do? They got rid of them. You wanted coaches to arrive, what did they do? They abided by your wishes.”
“I’m not saying he was wrong to have those wishes, you’re the face of the franchise, you’re the star, you’re damn right you have to have a say. There’s nothing wrong with that, but the point is they obliged and so at some point in time, it’s somebody else’s turn and now it’s Luka’s turn.”
Lakers still need James to be his best
James picking up his player option could mean this is his last year in LA, but the team will need his best while he is still on the roster.
The four-time champion will turn 41 in December, but he is still one of the best players in the league and can contribute to winning.
Doncic is the MVP pick of many analysts due to the work he has put in, but if the Lakers are to compete they will need James to deliver.
His IQ and playmaking abilities are qualities that the Lakers will require against tough defenses.
Going into Year 23, James has a shot at history to surpass Robert Parish and become the player with the most NBA appearances to his name, which is another testament to his longevity.
Not only is he just going to try and break that record, but James will be looking to do so in style by helping the Lakers compete for a championship.
