The Lakers' acquisition of Luka Doncic was a historic heist that perfectly set up the franchise in the post-LeBron James era. Doncic can take over the mantle as the team's offensive nucleus, and Rob Pelinka can craft a roster that maximizes his strengths as a scorer and playmaker while trying to mask his severe defensive limitations.

In 27 regular-season games with the Lakers, the younger James averaged 2.3 points, 0.8 assists and 0.7 rebounds in 6.7 minutes a game while shooting 31.3% from the field and 28.1% from 3-point range.