Rick Carlisle on LeBron James and Luka Doncic: ‘Don’t see any world … it doesn’t work great’
LOS ANGELES — Lakers coach JJ Redick will have to wait at least a couple of more games before he’s able to coach Luka Doncic in an NBA game.
But the man who stood about 30 feet away from Redick on the opposite side of the scorer’s table – Pacers coach Rick Carlisle – did for three seasons before becoming Indiana’s coach again during the 2021 offseason.
He gave his thoughts on the Lakers’ new star pairing of Doncic and LeBron James.
“I don’t see any world in which it doesn’t work great,” Carlisle said pregame ahead of the Lakers’ Saturday afternoon home game against the Pacers.
Carlisle was the Dallas Mavericks head coach from 2008-21, coaching Doncic, whom the Lakers acquired in a trade with the Mavericks last weekend, during his first three seasons in the league.
“We’re talking about two guys who really, when they simply came into the world and started playing basketball, were expected to be guys that would have statues built for them,” Carlisle said. “The level of expectation on these two guys is just something that is hard to fathom. And as I was around Luka more and more, I became much more aware of the kind of pressure that must be on him.
“And he has such charisma, such ability, skill, he goes into a game and just decides how the game is going to be played. And LeBron James does the same exact thing. These two guys are surgeons in the way that they dissect games and they’re really both impossible to game plan for. You have to decide how you’re willing to lose – that’s what it comes down to. This is an amazing opportunity for Luka. LeBron and him have an affinity for each other that goes back to really Luka’s first year in the league. The whole thing is an amazing string of events.”
Neither Doncic nor James were available Saturday.
Mark Williams, whom the Lakers acquired in a deal with the Charlotte Hornets, also wasn’t available, with the official reasoning being “trade pending” after entering Saturday as questionable.
Doncic, who’s expected to make his Lakers debut in Monday’s home game against the Utah Jazz, has been sidelined since Dec. 25 because of a strained left calf. James sat out Saturday because of left ankle soreness.
Saturday was James’ fourth missed game of the season.
He’s averaging 24.5 points (51.6% shooting, 39.1% on 3-pointers), nine assists and 7.8 rebounds in his 22nd NBA season.
James scored a season-high 42 points in Thursday’s home win over the Golden State Warriors, becoming only the second player 40 or older in NBA history to have a 40-point performance along with Michael Jordan.
If everything goes according to plan, Redick expects to have Doncic and James available for Monday’s home game against the Utah Jazz.
“I don’t know why we wouldn’t,” Redick said. “We’re not trying to hold guys out. Obviously, with Bron, just a little bit of increased soreness on that foot after the other night. And Luka, I think, is progressing well, but we’ll make that decision in real time on Monday.”
SIMPLIFYING
Ahead of the Lakers’ home win over the Washington Wizards on Jan. 21, Redick mentioned that the team had simplified the offense.
And they’ve gotten good results since then, having the league’s sixth-best offensive rating (points scored per 100 possessions) in the previous eight games entering Saturday.
Redick expects for the team’s offense to become even more simplified when Doncic and James are back on the floor.
“It probably gets simpler, to be honest with you,” Redick said pregame. “And the packaging around Luka, LeBron and [Austin Reaves] and how we involve the people we’re trying to target, it gets simpler.”