With the shot clock winding down under a second, Luka Doncic, with a move that would be ambitious for most, stepped back to escape Jaden McDaniels` reach and launched a high-arcing shot that dropped perfectly into the net, beating the clock and giving the Lakers a one-point lead with 6:30 left in the fourth quarter of Game 5 on Wednesday night.
Chants of `Lu-ka! Lu-ka!` echoed through the arena. Doncic smirked as he retreated, showcasing his trademark blend of determination and skill, even as his body was clearly struggling after a first-half collision with Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo caused a back tweak.
In that moment, Doncic embodied the fearless scorer he`s known to be; the Los Angeles Lakers seemed like the team ready to prove themselves; and the Laker faithful were briefly reminded of the immense hope that had surged since the shocking trade three months prior.
As it turned out, this was the final moment of brilliance for the Lakers` 2024-25 season.
It was the last shot Doncic made, and the last time L.A. held the lead. Minnesota finished the game on a 16-8 run, while the Lakers missed nine of their last 12 attempts (including Doncic`s final two).
The rapid collapse mirrored the trajectory of both the Lakers` season and Doncic`s personal journey within it. Few could relate more to such a dramatic shift in circumstances.
The changes he experienced after being traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers just three months ago were vast and transformative.
The 26-year-old, a five-time All-NBA First Team selection, went from being a franchise cornerstone seen as potentially spending his entire career with one team to being sent to a legendary organization centered around LeBron James.
Not everything was new, however. Doncic brought his pregame ritual from Dallas to Los Angeles. After his spot shooting around the 3-point line, he attempts three half-court shots. If he makes one, several Lakers assistant coaches who rebound for him have to do pushups. If he misses all three, Doncic owes them body-weight squats or pushups, which he performs at the center court circle.
This small ritual is an example of Doncic seeking comfort and familiarity in a season largely devoid of both. According to sources, it was also a response to the whispers surrounding him after the trade – a commitment to extra conditioning after joining the Lakers with a strained left calf that sidelined him for five and a half weeks.
His game-day routine, sources said, begins at 9 a.m. with bodywork, shooting practice, weightlifting, and a cold tub session. One source indicated that maintaining his pregame routine, while enjoyable, was a sign of Doncic recognizing that getting back to peak physical form with his new team was crucial for the Lakers to reach their full potential.
However, the vision for their potential ultimately exceeded their actual performance. Wednesday night concluded a disappointing five-game first-round loss to a Minnesota team that proved to be bigger, deeper, and younger. The Lakers were, in most aspects, outplayed.
Their season felt like a race against time: Doncic rushing his recovery and integration into the Lakers` system; first-year coach JJ Redick trying to quickly adapt; President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka attempting to reshape the roster around Doncic; and James somehow still playing at a championship level after turning 40.
Time ran out to build chemistry. Time ran out to acquire a center who could complement Doncic and provide rim protection. And time is, arguably, running out for James.
“I don`t know,” James said after Game 5 when asked about how much longer he plans to play. “I don`t have the answer to that.”
The Lakers entered the series favored to advance. Now, they head into the offseason much sooner than anticipated, facing significant questions and uncertainty.
THE LAKERS` POSTSEASON slogan, `Unleash Joy,` was intended to evoke Doncic`s playful attitude during those half-court shootouts. The team even used it in an email promoting their `2025 playoff run.`
That run lasted just 12 days. The Lakers lost Game 1 – their first playoff opener hosted in L.A. since James arrived in 2018 – by 22 points. They bounced back with a win in Game 2 but then lost the next two games in Minneapolis, being outscored by a combined 20 points in the final five minutes of those contests.
L.A.`s most obvious weakness was in the frontcourt.
Three days after trading Anthony Davis to Dallas for Doncic, the Lakers made a deal with the Charlotte Hornets for 7-footer Mark Williams, a promising but injury-prone young center who was expected to give Doncic a strong vertical threat around the rim besides Jaxson Hayes. According to sources, Williams was Doncic`s preferred lob partner among potential trade targets, a role he`d excelled in with Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford in Dallas.
The deal was agreed upon the night before the trade deadline, a last-minute move by the Lakers` front office after already successfully acquiring Doncic and Dorian Finney-Smith from the Brooklyn Nets in late December.
However, Williams never played for L.A. He failed the team`s physical examination, and a source familiar with the situation said the Lakers “just couldn`t live with what they saw.”
The trade was rescinded, a rare occurrence in the NBA, sending Williams back to Charlotte and rookie Dalton Knecht, Cam Reddish, and a future first-round pick back to L.A.
With the deadline missed, Pelinka couldn`t arrange another trade with the same assets. L.A. instead signed 7-footer Alex Len off the waiver wire. Sources said Len was already in an Indianapolis hotel waiting to sign with the Pacers after being released by the Sacramento Kings but was persuaded by the opportunity to play alongside James, Doncic, and the Lakers and changed his plans.
Len joined the team but didn`t break into Redick`s rotation, playing in only 10 of 31 games after signing with L.A. Meanwhile, Williams played 21 games for Charlotte during the same period, averaging 14.9 points on 62.5% shooting.
Redick played Hayes for the initial four minutes of Game 4 before keeping him on the bench for the remainder of the series.
Minnesota`s depth was already a strength; they effectively added two rotation players for the price of one by trading Karl-Anthony Towns to New York before the season for Julius Randle and DiVincenzo, bolstering a squad that reached the conference finals a year prior. This advantage became even more evident as the series progressed and Redick further shortened his rotation.
Redick inserted Finney-Smith into the starting lineup instead of Hayes and played those five players for the entire second half of Game 4 – a widely criticized tactic, as, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, it had never been done before in a playoff game since substitution data was tracked starting in 1997. It was a high-risk gamble in a critical situation, and Redick lost.
Before Game 5, the first-year coach doubled down on his approach, responding sharply when asked if he had consulted his assistant coaches before playing Doncic, who was recovering from a stomach virus that significantly limited him in Game 3, and James, who entered the postseason with left hip flexor and groin issues, for 24 consecutive minutes.
“`Are you implying that was an inexperienced decision because I`m inexperienced?` Redick asked. `Do you think I don`t discuss substitutions with my assistants during every timeout? That`s a strange assumption,` he said before leaving the press conference.”
After the game, with emotions still raw, Redick admitted he had room to improve as a coach.
“`I know I can be better,` he stated. `I know I will get better. I don`t necessarily feel satisfied with how the year unfolded. That doesn`t mean I`m not proud of what the group accomplished, how we adapted on the fly, and put ourselves in a position to have home court in the first round. But there are always ways to improve, and I can improve significantly.`”
Following Game 1, Wolves forward Jaden McDaniels (6-foot-9) commented that he exploited the Lakers` lack of size.
“`I just noticed at certain times when they didn`t have a rim protector on the court, when Jaxson Hayes wasn`t in,` he said. `If he`s not out there, I`m basically the tallest person. So I don`t think anyone could protect the rim against me.`”
McDaniels finished with a team-high 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting.
In Game 5, the Lakers were outrebounded 54-37, with Minnesota holding an 18-8 advantage on the offensive glass.
“`We couldn`t get rebounds,` Lakers forward Rui Hachimura noted. `We need someone who can get rebounds.`”
Rudy Gobert, with his 7-foot-1 frame, grabbed nine offensive rebounds and 24 total, scoring 27 points on 12-of-15 shooting.
A team source told ESPN after the game, “`Gobert looked like Shaq.`”
Sitting at the podium after the Lakers` season ended, James was asked if playing without a traditional center for the final three months of the season had affected him or the series.
“`No comment,` James replied with a smirk. `I would never say that. Because my guy AD said what he needed, and he was gone the following week.`”
THERE WERE POSITIVE stretches this season that demonstrated the team`s potential, such as an eight-game winning streak in late February against a series of strong opponents including Denver, Minnesota, New York, and two wins against the Clippers.
However, there were also perplexing losses, including one in Brooklyn and two in six days against the Chicago Bulls. The first was an inexplicable 31-point blowout. The second, ending with a Josh Giddey 47-foot buzzer-beater, foreshadowed some of the problems that ultimately derailed their season.
After leading by 16 points entering the fourth quarter in that game, the Lakers faltered. Up five with 12 seconds remaining, Bulls wing Patrick Williams hit an open three-pointer to cut the lead to 115-113.
On the subsequent inbound play, James threw a poor pass that was stolen by Giddey, who then passed to an open Coby White for a 26-foot three-pointer, giving the Bulls the lead.
Following a late-season road victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder, James acknowledged the team was still a work in progress.
“`We`re just trying to accumulate good habits,` James said. `It`s all about habits. We`re just trying to build our habits now as we head into the final part of the season.`”
Habits are built through repetition and refined through trial and error.
“`It was like speed dating,` one team source commented. `Even if things are going well, your approach won`t work on everyone. There`s only limited time to put in the work.`”
Despite the outcome, the Lakers still have reasons for optimism. In James` first season with the team, they missed the playoffs, but the following year, after acquiring Anthony Davis, they won the championship. Similarly, in Doncic`s first season with Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks missed the playoffs, but after reshaping their supporting cast midseason, they reached the NBA Finals the next year.
A source close to Doncic mentioned that the Slovenian star defeated Minnesota last season with a Mavericks team `built around him.` In L.A., the source said, “`Luka inherited these players, and these players inherited Luka.`”
The Lakers were trying to rebuild their offensive and defensive systems – which were already new under first-year coach JJ Redick, who replaced Darvin Ham – to both capitalize on Doncic`s strengths and hide his weaknesses.
While Nico Harrison, the Mavericks` President of Basketball Operations and General Manager, seemed to decide that Doncic`s drawbacks outweighed his brilliance, the Lakers appear to embrace the challenge of unlocking the star guard`s ultimate potential.
“`It`s incredibly exciting to have the promise of him for our next decade of Laker basketball, to be able to build a team around him with him at the center of our franchise,` Pelinka said Thursday during an end-of-season press conference.”
Following the early elimination, Doncic will finally get a chance to rest. A source close to him described this season as “the most unexpected year of Luka`s life.”
Sources indicated he will spend the summer playing for the Slovenian men`s national basketball team at EuroBasket. He will be accompanied by members of his “body team” – Slovenian national team strength coach Anže Maček and physiotherapist Javier Barrio Calvo – throughout the offseason.
Redick, joining Pelinka for the Thursday press conference, outlined his offseason expectations for the team. In a message seemingly directed at Doncic, Redick stated, “`We have to get in championship shape.`”
On August 2nd, the Lakers can offer Doncic a four-year, $229 million extension. According to NBA front office insider Bobby Marks, Doncic could also choose to sign a three-year, $165 million extension with a player option in 2028, which would then allow him to sign a maximum deal in 2028, giving him 35% of the salary cap for five seasons.
Sources close to Doncic say he will take his time making a decision, even though he told Malika Andrews before the playoffs that he wants to remain in Los Angeles.
Doncic was reportedly heartbroken, both publicly and privately, by the trade to the Lakers, having previously stated his desire to retire in Dallas. However, a positive perspective can be found – a comfort after a defeat that raises more questions than it answers.
“`For Luka,` a source close to him said, `it`s kind of like, `I`m wanted here.“”
Sources said James made a deliberate effort to empower Doncic since his arrival in L.A. and will not attempt to influence his teammate`s decision.
“`No, that`s not my job,` James stated. `I think… no, I know, Luka knows how I feel about him. And ultimately, that trade happened for the future. That wasn`t for me. Luka has to decide what he wants to do with his future. He`s [26] years old, I`m 40, so he can`t base his career off me. That`s just the reality. But I obviously hope [he stays long term]. Laker fans love him here. L.A. has accepted him. We love him as a teammate, as a brother. But ultimately, he has to make the decision for himself. I`m not going to be around much longer.`”
The Lakers have clearly indicated their desire to invest in Doncic for the long term.
“`I think Luka Doncic joining forces with the Los Angeles Lakers is a seismic event in NBA history,` Pelinka commented at his introductory press conference.”
Until that date in August arrives, the team is tasked with presenting its vision and demonstrating to Doncic that this year`s first-round loss was an anomaly – a difficult beginning to what they hope will be a long and successful partnership.
