LeBron James acknowledged the Los Angeles Lakers cannot replicate Luka Dončić’s production but insisted every available player must elevate his performance while the All-Star guard recovers from injury.
Speaking Saturday after practice, the 41-year-old forward noted Dončić is averaging nearly 35 points, eight assists and seven rebounds. “You don’t replace that or try to even fill that,” James said. “It’s up to all of us, whoever’s in the lineup, to pick up our individual play and make plays together.”
Dončić and guard Austin Reaves are expected to miss the remainder of the regular season. Their absences complicate Los Angeles’ push for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, a goal James still believes is attainable. “Our determination to win is still the same,” he stated. “We’ve got to go out and win basketball games, and we’ve got some really good competition still.”
The Lakers’ upcoming schedule includes matchups with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, the Golden State Warriors on Thursday and the Phoenix Suns on Friday. James emphasized limiting turnovers, fast-break points and offensive rebounds as key areas the team must address without Dončić’s scoring and playmaking.
Los Angeles is coming off a 42-point loss to the Thunder in which both Dončić and Reaves were injured, a result James said did not surprise him given Oklahoma City’s championship pedigree. The veteran forward is expected to shoulder a larger workload while teammates heal.
Source: LakersNation.com
