It has not been talked about nearly enough, but LeBron James is living through a moment in Los Angeles Lakers history that the organization has seen play out before. This time, though, he is the one on the other end of it. Since the blockbuster trade that brought Luka Doncic to the Lakers back in February, the dynamic in LA has quietly shifted. Whether LeBron likes it or not, this team now belongs to number 77. And honestly, it should.
Luka is not just the future of the league, he is the present. His first few months in a Lakers uniform confirmed what most people around the NBA already knew: he does not need years to adapt to new surroundings.