nypost
Lakers head coach JJ Redick found himself searching for words. He had previously compared Luka Doncic to a supernova and described defending him as picking your poison. So when asked for superlatives after Doncic's 53-point, five-rebound, five-assist outing in a 124-118 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, Redick hesitated. "Sure," he said. "Sure." Then, as another reporter began a question, he cut in: "I'm going to just sit around, well gather one day and come up with more superlatives. So I'll have more words ready. But for now, I don't have any words." The normally hyper-prepared coach was finally caught unprepared.
Redick is far from the only one left stunned by Doncic's torrid start to the season. The 27-year-old is averaging a league-leading 40.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game. In Friday's win, Doncic surpassed Michael Jordan (347) for the most points scored in the first nine games of a season since the NBA-ABA merger, tallying 361. It marks the highest total in the modern NBA since Wilt Chamberlain in 1962-63.
"I'm having a lot of fun," Doncic said. "Obviously playing basketball, it's a lot of fun for me. It's more [fun] when you play like this and when you win games. So, it's been like this my whole life. Basketball was my dream. Playing in the NBA was my dream. Just living my dream."
The Lakers are living theirs as well. Their franchise centerpiece is putting together an MVP-caliber campaign while guiding the team to an 8-2 record and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. Few expected the Lakers to be this good, and even fewer anticipated Doncic soaring to the top of the MVP conversation after never finishing in the top two in voting in his career. But if the first few weeks have made anything clear, it's that Redick needs to expand his vocabulary—perhaps a thesaurus is in order. Doncic is skyrocketing, and he's carrying the Lakers with him.
The 16-point come-from-behind win over Portland was filled with incredible moments. The Lakers stormed back after shooting 4-for-23 from beyond the arc in the first half, including missing their first 15 attempts from deep. Doncic also banked in a buzzer-beating 62-foot shot at the end of the second quarter. "Luka can do some things that maybe a handful, if not no one, can do in basketball," Redick said.
The fun continued after Doncic recorded his 11th career 50-point game, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the 10th-most such games in NBA history. A mix-up ensued when Ziaire Williams, eager to congratulate Doncic, interrupted what he thought was Doncic's walk-off television interview with NBA on Prime. Williams approached from behind, put his hands on the interviewee's shoulders, and yelled, "Fifty ball!" The only problem: Austin Reaves was doing the interview, not Doncic. "I'm the wrong white person," said Reaves, who scored 25 points. When asked if he seriously confused his two teammates, Williams smiled in the locker room and said, "Deadass." Doncic joined in the fun, joking that being mistaken for Reaves was "very disrespectful to me," highlighting the brotherly bond they share.
It has been a wild stretch for Doncic, who is shattering records nightly. He's leaving his coach at a loss for words, making shots from outer space, and leaving his teammates seeing his face in everyone. So only one question remains: can Doncic keep this up? "I feel like that," he said. "But as long as we win, I'm good."
Key Analysis
Doncic's historic scoring pace and the Lakers' surprising dominance have shifted the early-season narrative. His ability to single-handedly will the team to victories while posting numbers unseen since Wilt Chamberlain underscores his MVP candidacy. Meanwhile, the lighthearted locker-room moment with Reaves and Williams illustrates the chemistry and camaraderie fueling this unexpected run. If Doncic sustains this level, Redick may need that thesaurus sooner rather than later.
Originally reported by nypost.