The Los Angeles Lakers will continue without LeBron James in the starting lineup. It’s a sad reality that the Akron Hammer will miss his seventh consecutive game on Thursday. But his groin injury has been a menace, to be honest. And given the performance he’s been putting up lately, JJ Redick would want anything but to escalate the King’s injury. At the same time, Luka Doncic has taken over the responsibilities of pushing the games ahead. This makes everyone wonder what would it be like if AD was still on the team.
Recently former NBA hooper Marcus Morris Sr. told in an interview that he felt Anthony Davis was somewhat in LeBron’s way. Back in January, after the Lakers’ 102-116 loss to the Clippers, JJ Redick voiced a major concern. “We don’t have a guy on our team that’s going to necessarily always draw two to the ball… get past his guy one-on-one, get to the paint, and spread it out to the perimeter. Like, that’s just not our team.” But Rob Pelinka had other plans. On February 2, he pulled off a blockbuster. Dallas mourned. LA celebrated. Luka Doncic arrived. Funny enough, he was Redick’s teammate until 2021.
Now, back to Marcus Morris’ point—Stephen A. Smith sees it too. Stephen A. commended Morris for his analysis and brought the conversation back to the Lakers and Redick’s statement after losing to the LA Clippers in January. He also threw Doncic in the mix and how could he forget his favorite LeBron James?
SAS said: “Now, if you remember when LeBron and JJ Redick were doing their podcast together. And the aftermath of that. When JJ Redick talked about what the Lakers needed. And what the geometry of the LA offense should be. JJ’s aspiration was to be a high three-point volume shooting team. That’s what he wanted. The Lakers were averaging 33.8 threes per game.”
Feb 20, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) celebrates with guard Luka Doncic (77) and forward Rui Hachimura (28) after beating the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
Stephen A. Smith is connecting the dots. LeBron and JJ Redick had their podcast moment. Then came the fallout. Redick had a vision—more threes, more firepower. Moreover, he wanted the Lakers to be a high-volume shooting team. Simple. The numbers? 33.8 attempts per game. But was that enough? The veteran analyst further speculated: “Rob Pelinka might have got that call, but I assure you, when he went to JJ Redick, JJ said, ‘Do everything you can to get that damn deal done.’ Because Luka Doncic coming to our team, being able to draw attention from defenses, is going to free up others to shoot threes.”
But most importantly, LeBron is thriving, and Stephen A. Smith breaks it down (unbelievable!). “And one of those people will include LeBron James, who’s essentially your wide-out… He gets to play bully ball… or he gets to step outside because he’s improved his three-point shot.” Now, he’s getting more open looks than ever in a Lakers jersey. Credit goes to Luka. This is exactly what JJ Redick envisioned. And Marcus Morris Sr.? Spot on. As Stephen A. puts it, “It just happens to be true. It’s proven to be true.”
Marcus Morris’s intricate analysis seems to be true as JJ Redick is benefiting more with Luka Doncic on the team
Marcus Morris Sr. shared his thoughts with Yahoo Sports on the LeBron and Luka show taking over LA. Naturally, why wouldn’t it? After all, Rob Pelinka made a power move in February by securing one of the biggest names on the trade market. However, the real story is that LeBron James immediately elevated his game once Doncic arrived. Clearly, something was holding him back before, but now that obstacle is gone.
“I felt this, Anthony Davis was in LeBron’s way,” Marcus Morris told the host. “Because LeBron’s really a four now, and that’s the position that Anthony Davis wanted to play. He’s always on the box, he wasn’t really stretching the three that well.” Morris hinted that Anthony Davis’ style was holding LeBron back. With Davis favoring the power forward spot, LeBron had to adjust. Now, he’s embracing the role of a true “four” himself.
Meanwhile, with Davis operating in the paint and lacking a strong three-point shot, he limits the space LeBron could exploit, disrupting their on-court chemistry. Morris further added: “Now you add another guard—not even just another guard, let’s just make that clear. You add a top-five guard in the NBA, that top-five player. A player who can get it from anywhere, and he’s a matchup nightmare.”
As a result, Luka Doncic changed everything. LeBron now has space. The Lakers have more firepower. And as for JJ Redick? He’s finally coaching the team he always envisioned. No more clogged paint. No more limitations. Meanwhile, Marcus Morris Sr. recognized it early, and soon after, Stephen A. Smith connected the dots. With Luka leading the charge, defenses are stretched, shooters are thriving, and ultimately, Redick’s job just got a whole lot smoother.
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