1 move Lakers must make after Luka Doncic injury update

The worst case scenario for the Los Angeles Lakers happened on Friday when it was announced that Luka Doncic would miss the remainder of the regular season due to a Grade 2 hamstring strain. Doncic suffered the injury during the first half of the Lakers’ loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he did not return after exiting the game.

The Lakers were in the midst of playing some of their best basketball of the season, and now they face the prospect of not having their franchise star for the first round of the playoffs. While nothing has been made official past the end of the regular season, the severity of the injury suggests Doncic could be out for quite some time.

The question then becomes, what can the Lakers do in the immediacy to help offset the loss of Doncic. Obviously there is no replacing his production. Doncic was playing at an MVP caliber level and leading the league in scoring at 33.5 points.

But what the Lakers need to do to try and mitigate the loss is turn back the clock and look to LeBron James.

Lakers need to run LeBron-centric offense

With Doncic out for the foreseeable future, the Lakers best option is to put the ball in the hands of LeBron James. It’s a tough ask for the 41-year-old in the midst of a historic 23rd season in the NBA.

During the Lakers’ recent hot stretch, which has seen them surge in the Western Conference standings to the No. 3 seed, James has settled into more of an off-ball role, and has allowed Doncic and Austin Reaves to flourish offensively.

It’s not surprising. James has built his Hall of Fame career on playing basketball the right way and making the right play. And even though he’s the oldest player in the league, he’s kept himself in top-notch shape. Few players in the league can say they have better conditioning than James.

James has been dealing with his own assortment of injuries this season, but he’s still managed to be one of the Lakers’ most consistent players. He’s still playing at an All-Star level, averaging 20.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.0 steals. He shooting 51.1 percent from the field.

Of the Lakers 20-most effective five-man lineups this season, 19 of them include Doncic, which is to be expected. He is the Lakers’ best player after all. But the one lineup that didn’t include Doncic featured James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Jake LaRavia and Deandre Ayton, as per Basketball Reference.

Among their best four-man combinations, the only one in the top-10 that didn’t include Doncic was James, Ayton, LaRavia and Marcus Smart.

That there is the blueprint to staying afloat while Doncic is out. The main move the Lakers need to make is putting the ball back in James’ hands and allowing him to work. But the second part of that is using the data to go with the best combo around him sans Doncic.

Putting the ball back in James’ hands then begs the question, do the Lakers go with LaRavia or Hachimura in the starting lineup? Of the team’s best two-man combos, James and LaRavia are a +1.4 while James and Hachimura are not on the list.

LaRavia brings physicality defensively and energy. With a playmaker like James, perhaps he could rediscover his shooting touch in the final stretch of the regular season. That would be huge for the Lakers.

Obviously the Lakers’ best chance at winning in the playoffs requires Doncic to be available and at his best. But this move would give them their best chance at staying afloat and holding on to the No. 3 seed in West standings.

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