The Los Angeles Lakers are in the early stages of what can be accurately described as an internal revolution. The franchise has embraced an entirely new ideology, shifting from the priority of building around defensive stalwart Anthony Davis to prioritizing offensive dynamo Luka Doncic.
Thankfully, following the most important injury update of the season, the Lakers can officially begin the Doncic era in 2024-25.
Doncic has played in two games for Los Angeles already, but an injury restriction limited him to 47 combined minutes. It was a rational approach for a player who hadn't been active since Christmas, but the All-Star break has changed the circumstances of his ramp-up process.
According to Mark Medina of CBSLA, Lakers head coach JJ Redick revealed that the minutes restriction has been lifted and Doncic will now play how fans can expect him to moving forward.
Fresh off of All-Star weekend, the Lakers will enter the closing chapter of the regular season with Doncic playing All-NBA minutes.
Luka Doncic is off minutes restriction, allowing Lakers to build for future
Doncic, 25, represents a future both with and beyond LeBron James in Los Angeles. He's already one of the best and most decorated players in the NBA, with five All-NBA First Team nods and a scoring title on his résumé.
Doncic is also an accomplished postseason player, leading the Dallas Mavericks to the 2022 Western Conference Finals and 2024 NBA Finals.
The early hurdle in his Lakers tenure, however, has been his recovery from a calf injury that had kept him out of action since Christmas. It limited him to 24 minutes in his team debut and 23 the next time out, but progress appears to have been made.
As a result, the Lakers can finally begin to determine how the other pieces on the roster fit around Doncic—including the other starters.
Few players will find themselves under a brighter spotlight than Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves. Hachimura and Reaves have cemented their status as starters, with the former thriving as an athletic forward with two-way value, and the latter excelling as a playmaker out of the backcourt.
They're no longer complementing an interior-based superstar, however, but are instead playing off of a ball-dominant scorer and playmaker who primarily operates along the perimeter.
Beyond the pressure on others to complement Doncic, however, is the reality of how strong the Lakers' perimeter is. Doncic, Hachimura, James, and Reaves are supported by defensive-minded players such as Dorian Finney-Smith, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Gabe Vincent, as well as sharpshooter Dalton Knecht.
