After slow start, lineups with Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves have turned a corner

At this point of the year, with the Lakers at the three-fourths mark of the regular season, all that’s needed is a sign.

A sign that as the team has gotten healthier, they have something they can point to that indicates growth in chemistry or continuity – especially among their three best players in Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves.

Coach JJ Redick was provided with one of the most encouraging signs on Sunday morning before his team’s blowout win over the Kings at Crypto.com Arena.  

“They’re a plus for the season on the court together,” Redick said. “How about that? Got that note [Sunday] morning, that’s awesome.”

At the time Redick made the comments, lineups with the team’s star trio just crossed over into having a positive plus/minus for the season after Saturday’s road win over the Warriors, a game in which the Lakers outscored the Warriors by 21 points in the 17 minutes when Doncic, James and Reaves shared the floor.

Sunday’s win over the Pelicans marked the fourth consecutive game the Lakers won the minutes that their Big 3 were on the floor together, outscoring the Pelicans by five points in the 15 minutes they played together.

So despite the slow start, and constant questions about whether the Lakers could succeed with Doncic, James and Reaves leading the way, they’re finally winning the minutes in which their best three players are on the floor together: plus-eight in 271 minutes played – just above the 250-minute threshold Redick references for when lineup data starts to normalize. 

And the Lakers’ recent success with their best three players not only passes the smell test, but it’s also sustainable. 

The obvious needs to be acknowledged: a significant chunk of the recent success the Lakers have had with Doncic, James and Reaves on the floor had mostly come against easier competition. 

The league-worst Kings, short-handed Warriors, Suns without Devin Booker and Dillon Brooks and Magic without Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs are the teams the Lakers have success with their best players against. 

They were plus-45 in the 79 minutes Doncic, James and Reaves shared the floor during those four games after being minus-37 in the 192 minutes they played together across 12 games entering the Feb. 24 loss to the Magic.  

But how the Lakers are winning the Doncic-James-Reaves minutes, and the process behind them, is encouraging despite the recent success being a smaller sample. 

The Lakers had a plus-26.6 net rating when their best players shared the floor in the previous four games leading into Tuesday’s home game against the Pelicans. 

Their 93.1 defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) in that stretch isn’t sustainable. But what can be counted on is the 119.8 offensive rating the Lakers had in those four games with Doncic, James and Reaves on the floor – in line with what’s expected when three offensive players of their talents play together. 

Better shotmaking has helped; the Lakers are shooting 41.3% on 3-pointers over their last four games. 

But better process does, too, and directly impacts shotmaking and offensive production. 

The Lakers have done better with running offensive sets when their best three players share the court. 

There isn’t a lot new, more so doing better with what they already had: Stack actions involving at least two of Doncic, Reaves and James. Flare screens as Doncic or James operate out of the post. Hitaheads and early offensive principles that are meant to create advantages for the best players. 

“There’s been some really good stuff that we’ve done with the three of them,” Redick said. “And all of their abilities to be off the ball and on the ball, I think is really powerful. They all have gravity and they all have the ability to score with the ball and make decisions with the ball. So, we’ll just continue to look for ways to have them work together.”

Another key to the Lakers’ recent success when playing their Big 3 has been not having Rui Hachimura in those lineups as much. 

Lineups with Doncic, Reaves, James and Hachimura played just nine minutes in the previous four games (11.2% of the time Doncic, Reaves and James have been on the floor together) compared to 127 minutes in the previous 12 games the Big 3 shared the floor (66.1% of minutes played).

Swapping Hachimura for Marcus Smart in the starting lineup has helped, as expected, because lineup and role orientation on both ends of the floor matter. 

If there’s any reason to believe the Lakers are turning a corner and could make noise in the playoffs, it’s because their best players are operating on a higher level.

That’s a necessary recipe for success. 

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