The duo of LeBron James and Luka Doncic played a massive role in getting the Lakers to the playoffs. But now that Doncic's absence has subjected the team to a loss, James came clean on the No. 77's importance in the lineup.

While the Lakers made it to the Western Conference semifinals without Doncic, the side suffered a 108-90 loss in Game 1 of the semifinal series against the Thunder. Notably, the Lakers struggled with their offense at multiple junctures, which got 'King James' highlighting how the side missed the No. 77 during the match.

James said, “When you play against the world champions and [miss] having a guy that averages 34 [points] and eight [rebounds] and nine (assists) and is that special, that’s a major piece missing. We can’t rely on making shots… that’s not what wins games, but having Luka out there changes everything for us.”

The Lakers have always favoured isolation plays and random perimeter shooting, which can become invalid in the playoff series. Doncic’s presence with his playmaking, vision, and ability to control tempo leads to more scoring opportunities for the team.

Doncic was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers in early 2025. He has played 64 games with 33.5 points per game and led the Lakers on a 16-2 run, lifting them to 4th position finish in the Western Conference.

By the 2025-26 season, it was visibly clear that the Lakers are Doncic’s team. James, even though being a legendary player, knows well that he has limits that can only be sorted by playing alongside Doncic.

And it wasn't only James who felt that the Lakers struggled offensively in the game against the Thunder. Even the side's coach expressed similar views.

JJ Redick highlights the Lakers' offensive lag against the Thunder

James chipped in with 27 points and six assists for the Lakers against the Thunder in the semifinal series' Game 1. But even after Rui Hachimura and DeAndre Ayton's support, the Lakers failed to have the last laugh.

The side's head coach, JJ Redick, talked to the media postgame and labeled the lack of "building on the offensive rebound" as one of the major reasons behind the loss.

He said, "Every time we didn't execute, they hurt us. And then the other point – when they did get an offensive rebound, they absolutely killed us. We didn't do a good job of building back out on the offensive rebound."

While Doncic isn't known for his high offensive rebound numbers, he has displayed his impact in building the sides's overall offense with his pick-and-roll mastery and incredible gravity on multiple ocassions.

So, as James' words implied that he missed Doncic, do you also think the Lakers would've ended up on th winning side if the No. 77 took to the court in Game 1?

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Written by

Hetal Moleshri

Edited by

Souvik Roy