By Matija Šerić
After the first ten or so games of the current NBA season, the player who left the strongest impression has been Luka Dončić. After playing his first 10 games for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, he became the league’s leading scorer. The stats reveal impressive numbers. He averaged as much as 37.1 minutes per game and used his time on the court magnificently. On average, he scored 34.4 points (46.9% field goal percentage, 32.7% from three, 78.7% free throws), recorded 8.9 assists and the same number of rebounds, and stood out with 1.7 steals per game. He added 0.6 blocks as well. All of this came without excessive turnovers (3.7 per game) or fouls — just 2.5 personal fouls on average!
Performances for the Ages
Luka Magic’s most impressive performance came on October 24 at Crypto.com Arena against the Timberwolves, when he dropped 49 points, including five threes and 16 free throws, along with 11 rebounds and eight assists. LA won that game 128–110. Just three days earlier, he scored 43 points in the season-opening loss to the Golden State Warriors. With this, he became only the fourth player in history (after Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Anthony Davis) to open the first two games of a season with 40+ points. He crossed the 40-point mark again on November 1 on the road against Memphis with 44 points, and once more on November 16 against the Bucks, when he scored 41.
It would be rash to conclude Dončić played only offense while conserving energy on defense. On the contrary, he has never been better defensively. As a playmaker, he forms the first line of defense, and with his active movement and navigation around the three-point line he greatly hampers opponents’ ball movement. His 8.9 rebounds per game (eight of them defensive) show he has become a very useful two-way player.
Dončić game against Minnesota
The Leading MVP Candidate
The Slovenian wonderkid is playing in the form of his life and, if he continues like this, he is the frontrunner for the MVP award. Offensively, he has outperformed league superstars such as Tyrese Maxey, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Donovan Mitchell. To be clear, they all had great starts to the season, but Dončić has been even better. Perhaps most importantly, he achieved all this while LeBron James was sidelined with a sciatic nerve issue. Realistically speaking, without LeBron on the court, the Lakers are only slightly above average. With that in mind, Dončić’s achievements become even more impressive.
A Quiet Leader
Even though he has been in the City of Angels for just over nine months, the 26-year-old playmaker has already become a key piece of the Lakers — their game seems unimaginable without him. More and more analysts agree that the Dončić–Anthony Davis trade was a complete success for LA and a total disaster for the Mavericks. After all, Dallas GM Nico Harrison was fired on November 11, and according to the media, the main reason was sending Dončić to LA. Thanks to the brilliant Slovenian, the Lakers sit 4th in the Western Conference with a 10–4 record after the first 14 games, ahead of the favored Timberwolves, Warriors and Clippers.
Dončić has proven himself in Los Angeles not only as a great player but also as a natural-born leader. He has properly prepared the team for life after LBJ. “Quiet,” is how his teammate Marcus Smart described the leadership style the Slovenian employs, adding that he “leads by example.” Although he had already been a fantastic player, this year he has shown improvement in maturity and physical readiness. He slimmed down over the summer to be in peak condition this season.
Dončić game against Bucks
Lakers Chemistry Is Off the Charts
Even though James has been out the whole time, and Dončić and Reaves missed some games with minor injuries, it turns out the team chemistry is extremely strong — the Lakers have managed to win many difficult matchups despite not having their full roster. Dončić himself confirmed this after the 119–95 road win over Milwaukee:
“It’s great chemistry. When I came I was probably the more quiet one, trying to get to know people. But right now I’m just being myself — joking around a lot, trash talking. I think one of the biggest things for the team to win is have great chemistry, and I think we have that.”
Shooter Austin Reaves has been the Lakers’ second-best player after Dončić. In 11 games played, he has averaged 28.3 points, 8.2 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals. In the games against Sacramento and Portland, he scored 51 and 41 points respectively! We haven’t seen Reaves this efficient before. Also noteworthy are veteran sharpshooter Marcus Smart, who has averaged 10.2 points, 3.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 2.2 steals, and new center Deandre Ayton, who has exceeded expectations with 16.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.9 blocks over 13 games.
JJ Redick – The Mastermind of a New Generation
All in all, it’s clear that coach JJ Redick did an excellent job during the offseason and preseason in preparing the Lakers for this year. He has proven himself highly competent and strategic. He has designed team play for stretches when LeBron, Dončić or Reaves are off the court. He is capable of crafting a tailored game plan for every opponent LA faces. Redick is a great communicator and can connect with players because he is a very young head coach — only 41 years old. His leadership style is democratic. He doesn’t lecture players; instead, he builds relationships through a friendly approach, both with individuals and with the team as a whole.
The question now is whether the Lakers can maintain this level of quality in the coming months, since the Thunder and Nuggets remain the main favorites in the Western Conference. James will return soon, which should help them. The 40-year-old superstar is expected to further enrich their play, and if injuries spare the purple and gold, they could go far. Of course, Luka Magic will have to provide the decisive winning spell.
References:
https://www.espn.com/nba/player/stats/_/id/3945274/luka-doncic
https://www.espn.com/nba/team/schedule/_/name/lal/los-angeles-lakers
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/nov/18/luka-doncic-lakers-leadership-post-lebron-trade
