Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) confers with teammates forward LeBron James, left, and forward Rui Hachimura

Today at 01:48 AM

Admittedly it was a bit jarring to see 77 in the iconic purple and gold of the Lakers and to see Luka Doncic, the former face of the Mavericks, inaugurated as the biggest star in Los Angeles. But boy oh boy did it make sense.

It wasn’t a 50-point night or a groundbreaking triple-double, but Doncic’s Lakers debut was everything you wanted to see from a player destined for a statue outside Crypto in 15-20 years. It was a glimpse into the future, near and far, for a franchise honed in on nothing but titles. It was what Lakers fans hoped for when the blockbuster shocked the world.

In a 132-113 shellacking of the Utah Jazz, Doncic finished with a calm 14 points, five rebounds and four assists while shooting five-for-14 from the field and one-for-seven from three in 23 minutes, playing under a medical staff-imposed time limit.

Alongside him, passing the torch from one Lakers great to another, was LeBron James who finished with 24 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, and looked like he was having a second (Third? Fourth? Fifth?) wind.

The two didn’t connect for many scores, other than an absurd outlet pass from Luka to LeBron, but the playmaking acumen between the two was evident, as the ball was zipping around the court while either or both took to the hardwood.

Monday was a showcase of two of the smartest basketball minds sharing the floor and surgically picking apart the lowly Jazz with passes and plays only the two of them could concoct.

It felt as though the duo was simply trying to figure out what they couldn’t do, as their skill sets, combined with productive nights from the team’s roleplayers, led to almost endless possibilities. Passes were whipped across the court to open players on the perimeter, lobs appeared out of thin air, drives turned into kick-outs that turned into swing passes that turned into buckets that turned into roars from a raucous crowd. It felt like a match made in heaven.

The Lakers’ offence looked fast, strong, shifty and above all smart. James was nailing effortless three-pointers, Austin Reaves was dominating in isolation, Jaxson Hayes looked like the prettiest girl at prom catching lobs, and Luka’s magic was on full display.

It’s showtime in Los Angeles.

Here are some takeaways from Luka Doncic’s Lakers debut.

Luka getting back up to speed

When you haven’t played in a month and a half, it’s expected that you’ll have to shake off some rust. Such was the case for Doncic, who had a lot made about his conditioning after the trade.

It was a steady performance for the Slovenian and the fit between superstars jumped off the page for the Lakers, but it was clear that he was playing in a lower gear.

That all might sound like a detraction, but if the Lakers are able to beat the wheels off the Jazz (admittedly not the toughest test considering their 12-40 record) by 19 points with Doncic playing at 50 per cent of his powers, how good could it all look once he’s back up to speed?

Doncic gave up a lot of shots he’d normally take as his shooting motion looked slower than normal. He chose to pass out of some looks on drives instead of mowing down a smaller defender. He played like he knew he couldn’t leave it all out there. And that’s fine, it’s to be expected.

Where his regular scoring acumen faltered, his passing vision more than made up for. While he couldn’t get up to full speed, he opted to leverage his physicality. When he couldn’t show off shifty handles, he still found ways to create clever shots.

He wasn’t at his best, but the greatest players adapt and find ways to help the team regardless. The results went beyond the boxscore on Monday.

What adjustment for Austin Reaves?

With two ball-dominant players like James and Doncic running the offence, it was presumed that Reaves would have to take a backseat.

But fresh off a 45-point performance on Saturday, Reaves didn’t go quiet into that goodnight. Instead, he cruised to 22 points on 10 shots to go along with nine rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block.

More than just the raw numbers, Reaves had a big hand in setting up the offence, demanding the ball from James and Doncic to go at his defenders in isolation, nail pull-ups from deep or attack the rim to draw fouls.

Reaves has been stellar for the Lakers this season and has absolutely built up the cachet to demand looks even with both stars on the floor. But what’s more important for the Lakers is that he can run the offence when either or both of them sit. Los Angeles now has an embarrassment of riches in that role, and to see Reaves’ star unwilling to be diminished despite the brightness of James and Doncic is a great sign for a team likely to lean on him heavily as they gear up for the post-season.

Another fountain of youth?!

Step aside Bryan Johnson, LeBron James is the only person capable of cheating death.

It’s been said ad nauseam, but 22 years into a playing career at 40 years old, doing what James is doing shouldn’t be possible.

Maybe it’s the honeymoon phase of his partnership with Doncic and he’s just trying to impress his new partner in crime. Or maybe he wants to prove to the Lakers front office that this is still his team until he hangs it up. But on Monday, James looked young again, producing at his normally high level on offence while turning back the clock on defence.

He hounded players on the ball, forced turnovers with his immense pressure and gave up his body to try and draw charges. It was the sort of performance that had fallen in the rearview mirror with James in recent years as he focused his energy on the offensive side of the ball.

Defence was always going to be the question when the Lakers added Doncic. But if James can play at the level he did Monday for just portions of games come playoff time, if he can continue sipping from this fountain of youth, Doncic’s downsides might not be so important.