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Alder Almo - Philstar.com
March 26, 2025 | 10:18am
Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers steps back to take a shot beyond the 3-point line against Caleb Houstan of the Orlando Magic in the first half of a game at the Kia Center on March 24, 2025 in Orlando, Florida.
Julio Aguilar / Getty Images / AFP
NEW JERSEY, United States – Luka Doncic has made the Los Angeles Lakers an instant contender after the midseason blockbuster trade.
However, key injuries and their grueling schedule have derailed their season as they fell from No. 2 to No. 4 following their three-game slump.
Doncic spoke about becoming more of a vocal leader for the struggling Lakers after they suffered their third straight loss — 118-106 to Orlando Magic — on Monday (Tuesday Manila time).
The loss dropped the Lakers’ record to 43-28, tied with the Memphis Grizzlies. Seven of the Lakers’ last 11 games are against playoff-bound teams, which put them in a tough spot as the race to the playoffs gets tighter.
“First, we gotta get into the playoffs,” Doncic told reporters after he logged 32 points in the loss in Orlando. “There’s nothing guaranteed in this league. But I gotta talk more, get everybody in position, try and be a good leader. I’m getting more comfortable talking more and more. We gotta talk more and the last thing is we gotta be more physical on both ends.”
The Lakers’ biggest problem is the staggering drop of their once No. 1 defense in the NBA to the bottom in their last three losses. They have allowed an average of 127.3 points against their last three opponents.
Doncic, who has only played 18 games with the Lakers so far, felt the need to assert himself. But he’s also acknowledged that it should be a collaborative effort with the 40-year-old LeBron James, the incumbent star of the team.
“I honestly think it should be not just one person, it should be everybody,” Doncic said. “Everybody should be able to. Obviously, now it’s gonna be everybody, but I think me and Bron. I think we should be the guys to do that and that’s on me. Obviously, I gotta do better, I gotta talk more. I think I talked in the first half and then just kind of slowed down. I shouldn’t do that.”
Doncic is averaging 27.2 points, 7.8 assists, 8.6 rebounds and 1.8 steals since he joined the Lakers in February. He is the Lakers leader in scoring, rebounds and steals. But more than his big numbers, the Lakers also need him to be one of the top vocal leaders to right the ship or they sink into the play-in tournament.
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Alder Almo is a former senior sportswriter for Philstar.com and NBA.com Philippines. He is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey, and writes for US-based publication Heavy.com.
