Can Lakers’ LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Luka Doncic jell to make NBA playoff run?

By this time of the season, most NBA teams have a sense of their ceiling. 

That’s not the case for the Lakers (33-21), who are in fifth place in the Western Conference even though LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have only played 10 of the team’s 54 games together.

Everything considered, it’s impressive. 

James has missed 18 games, including the first 14 because of sciatica. Doncic has missed 12 games, including the last four because of a left hamstring strain. And Reaves was sidelined for 26 games, including missing over a month because of a left calf strain. 

In total, the Lakers’ three biggest stars have logged 152 minutes together this season. For perspective, Luke Kennard, whom the Lakers acquired at the trade deadline two weeks ago, has already played 96 minutes. And Bronny James, who averages only 7.3 minutes a game, has already surpassed the Big Three in time spent on the court with 211 minutes. 

This much is clear: We don’t know what the Lakers are capable of on offense, which is an exciting prospect for a team that ranks 11th in the league in that category. 

So, as the Lakers enter the stretch run with 28 games remaining, the biggest question surrounding them is bigger than they’d like. 

Who are they? 

If their Big Three is healthy, could they make some noise in the playoffs?

James, who has been to the Finals 10 times and won four championships with three different teams over his 23-season career, doesn’t even know the answer to that question. 

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“I know that when we’ve played some of our best basketball of the season, we’ve looked very good,” James said Sunday ahead of the All-Star Game. “On the other side, when we’ve been terrible, we’ve looked disgusting.

“So, I think the most important (thing) is if we can get healthy. How many minutes we can be on the floor. How much chemistry we can build with this sprint starting.”

So far, when Doncic, James and Reaves have shared the court, they’ve had a net-negative rating (-7.8), according to Cleaning the Glass. 

It’s unclear whether their skills are too overlapping and their combined defense is too weak or if they just haven’t had enough time to develop a rhythm. 

Doncic believes the latter is true, saying they have “big potential.”

Individually, they’re each shining. 

Doncic is leading the league in points (32.8) and is third in assists (8.6). Reaves is averaging career bests in points (25.4), rebounds (five) and assists (six). And James is doing unprecedented things at age 41, averaging 22 points, 5.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists. 

When the Lakers host the Clippers on Friday, the team’s Big Three is expected to play in its 11th game together. Doncic said at Lakers practice Thursday that he’ll “probably” be on the court. Reaves will no longer have a minutes restriction. And James was able to squeeze in a bit of rest around his 22nd All-Star Game.

So, with just over one-third of the Lakers’ season remaining, the pressure is on for them to figure out a way to jell.

The Lakers had a quiet trade deadline. They added Kennard, who is leading the league in 3-point percentage at 49.4. But they didn’t do anything to bolster their 23rd-ranked defense.

So, their success will be tied to whether James, Reaves and Doncic can find a way to thrive.

There are debates over whether the Lakers should prioritize trying to finish as a top-four seed to secure home-court advantage or whether they should focus on health and rest, even if it means slipping a bit in the standings. 

They must gamble on the latter. It’s the only way they have a chance of unlocking their Big Three.

A lineup featuring Doncic, James and Reaves could be scary come playoff time, especially if they each commit to pouring themselves into the defensive end, alongside some combination of Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt or Deandre Ayton.

James obviously knows what it takes to win during that time of year. Doncic led the Mavs to the Finals in 2024. And Reaves is hungry to shine in the playoffs after struggling last postseason while dealing with a left toe sprain. 

In the very stacked Western Conference with the Thunder, the Spurs and the Nuggets, the Lakers’ only chance of competing is if their roster is healthy. 

And even then, they’re a question mark. 

It’s clear that the Big Three has incredible potential, but it’s equally unclear whether it’ll be realized.