A week ago when Luka Doncic stepped on the court for his Lakers debut, he gave us a glimpse of how he can thrive with LeBron James. Against the Jazz, he snatched a rebound, and after one bounce, threw a court-length ball to LeBron for the bucket. This is something that James usually does, but on this occasion, he was the receiver of such a pass. However, this was as good as it got for the Lakers Nation over the next two games.

That camaraderie seen against the Jazz just a couple of days ago disappeared against the same opponent two days later. Doncic rifled a pass at Austin Reaves’ feet with the two players getting crossed up on their timing. A frustrated James slammed the ball on the court as their defense seemed immobile. A six-game winning streak snapped just like that, and if it wasn’t enough, they suffered a gut-punching loss to the Hornets, leaving JJ Redick with a lot to ponder.

The loss to the Hornets was a meltdown. A full-on razing of a 13-point lead, getting annihilated by a 22-1 run. In the third quarter, things were fine. The Lakers were up by 65-53 late. Their offense then flipped a switch and went completely cold. The Hornets were all pumped by the time they scored 10 straight shots. LaMelo Ball contributed 27 points and orchestrated everything, and Miles Bridges went off with 29 points as the Hornets got a massive win. The Lakers, meanwhile, just couldn’t put it together.

James had 21 points but missed two crucial shots at the end. Luka Doncic had an abysmal night as he failed to find his Midas touch. Having scored 16 points in his second game, Dončić struggled with efficiency coming out of the All-Star break. He finished with 14 points on 5-of-18 shooting (1 of 9 from 3-point range) with 11 rebounds, eight assists, and six turnovers. He was in foul trouble for much of the game as this game highlighted that the James-Doncic partnership is still a work in progress and Redick knows it all too well. He said,

“Sometimes when the group is trying to get acclimated with each other, you can try to play the right way too much and turn down shots, and then you can try to get yourself in a rhythm and not make the extra pass,” he said.

The Lakers were poor offensively overall. They shot 41.1 percent from the floor overall and were 15-of-51 on three-pointers in the defeat. Dončić and Rui Hachimura were the two biggest culprits, who contributed to the team’s shooting struggles. They combined to make two of their 17 long-range attempts.

As for James and Doncic, they are also adjusting to playing with each other. James was strong in a strong rhythm throughout the fourth quarter, scoring 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including two three-pointers. Doncic, on the other hand, struggled, coming up just five points on 2-of-5 shooting while committing six turnovers. Redick, however, is staying optimistic.

“I think the flow of everything is going to happen. I’m excited because this is a new problem to solve. We’ll work our butts off to try to solve the problem, but I’m excited about us being able to generate that stuff, getting two on the ball. We’ll just continue to re-emphasize the type of shots we want,” he said.

One problem that could be behind James and Doncic’s integration struggles is the lack of a towering true center. The team is relying on the likes of Jaxson Hayes and Alex Len to provide an inside presence after the trade for Hornets’ Mark Williams was rescinded.

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Either Redick has to develop a center-less system that will allow Doncic and James to somehow flourish or play the waiting game till next season and get someone in the center.

Right now, the bigger question for them is when exactly Dončić finds his feet. Playing for a new team, in a new system, and coming back from an injury, it is understandable that it will take time for him to find his best form. But he is currently shooting 16 of 45 as a Laker and has yet to reach 20 points. Moreover, some of his turnovers against the Hornets were more down to sloppy play than anything else.

Missing well over a month of action has also played its role in Doncic’s slow start in Los Angeles. “I’ve never missed this much time, so this is something new to me,” the former Mavs star admitted after the Hornets defeat.

Redick is still driven by his game plan calling for more three-point attempts, even if they might not have the necessary weapons to execute this strategy.

“I felt from the Detroit game on Dec. 23, I’ve really liked the threes we’ve generated,” Redick said. Against the Hornets, the Lakers attempted a season-high 51 threes. In their previous game, a 131-119 loss to the Jazz, they shot 50. This seems to be the plan forward for Redick and the Lakers.

But here’s the grave issue—LeBron James isn’t exactly on board with Redick’s strategy.

LeBron James isn’t fully buying into Redick’s three-point strategy

This isn’t the first time LeBron has had a coach who wants him to shoot more threes. And guess what? He’s not loving the idea this time, either. Redick has been pushing for a more modern offense—spacing, ball movement, and more threes. But LeBron is one of the best interior scorers ever, and shifting to a high-volume three-point game? Yeah, that’s not exactly his thing.

LeBron has been a fan of Luka Doncic for years, going back to 2018 when he first talked about wanting to play with him. Now, they’re finally teammates, and the expectations are sky-high. But they’re still figuring things out. “Everybody getting into the right spots, hold each other accountable, play basketball the right way, share the ball. The ball is gonna be in Luka’s hands, it’s gonna be in AR’s hands. Two great decision-makers. It’d be in my hands a little bit as well. Another great decision-maker and then our guys are gonna feast off us,” LeBron said following the win over the Warriors on February 6.

So, he’s open to adjusting his role… but when it comes to shooting more threes? Not so much. After dropping 42 points on the Warriors—becoming just the second player ever (after Michael Jordan!) to score 40+ points at 40 years old—LeBron admitted Redick wants him to let it fly from deep. “JJ still wants me to shoot more threes. I’m still reluctant to do that ’cause I’m just playing an all-around game… I don’t know, maybe we’ll see.”

It’s an interesting standoff. Redick wants a modernized offense, built around spacing and threes. But LeBron, who’s been dominating inside his entire career, doesn’t buy into the plan just yet.

The Lakers’ front office is already trying to build around LeBron and Luka. Their failed attempt at getting Mark Williams, a 7-footer who can catch lobs and finish at the rim, is proof of this. But if James keeps resisting Redick’s vision, it could slow down how quickly this team finds its groove.

With the playoffs creeping closer, the Lakers don’t have time to waste.