Just when it looked like the Los Angeles Lakers had gone certifiably stale and would be so for a long time, the franchise landed generational superstar Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 1. It was a fortuitous fork in the road for the franchise that has led to it claiming the third seed in the Western Conference this season.
Doncic has taken over as the Lakers' main decision-maker on the court, and LeBron James has manfully taken somewhat of a back seat to allow that to happen. The Slovenian has had a number of big games and hot streaks, and he has likely given fans flashbacks to the days of the late great Kobe Bryant with his otherworldly shot-making abilities.