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 Su...