Luka Doncic was called last in the Lakers’ starting lineup when Los Angeles came up with a 132-113 win against the Utah Jazz on Monday. What’s different is that LeBron James used to be called the last in that regard – all hinting at the Lakers could be in store for the future, especially when it comes to the time that James will eventually move on with his career.

Just in the second quarter, James dribbled against Walker Kessler on him, and went to the left baseline to calmly sink a fadeaway jumper to give the Lakers a 43-28 lead with 10:21 to go. Four minutes later, Doncic plays the same dribble, this time against Johnny Luzang, and nails the same one-legged jumper in the same spot as LeBron did.

All of the stars have aligned in this magical pairing by the Lakers. Doncic being able to put up a promising game on his own said a lot about how he fits easily into the Lakers roster, and his debut being a blowout win proves that maybe the Lakers, after all, did really win the trade considering that Anthony Davis, now with the Dallas Mavericks, is out with an injury for an indefinite period of time.

The Magical Debut

Fans at the Crypto.com Arena were treated with free yellow shirts bearing Luka Doncic’s number 77. Each seat had one of those, bringing bigger anticipation for the star guard’s debut with the Lakers. After James was called in the starting lineup, the crowd roared louder with Doncic being called last.

Doncic’s first play of the game? A two-on-one play where he threw the ball for a lob to Jaxson Hayes for a massive slam. Luka would go on to drill his first bucket of the game as a Laker – a stepback three from the top of the key in front of a big defender in Kessler. Los Angeles grabbed a 37-25 lead in the first and capitalized a 72-47 lead by halftime.

The Lakers continued to pour down impressive baskets down the stretch, keeping the struggling Jazz at bay for the whole second half. Los Angeles finished the third quarter with 100 points and guess what? Add James and Doncic’s numbers together – 23 and 77 – equals 100.

James and Doncic did not play the fourth quarter after that. LeBron finished with 24 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds to lead the scoring for the Lakers, while Doncic came up with 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists in his debut. The Lakers had seven players in double figures in the win, including 22 from Austin Reaves and 21 from Rui Hachimura.

A Promising Future to Come

Doncic was then interviewed by the Lakers’ postgame team after the win, and was asked how good the team can be with him added into the lineup. Many fans expected him to answer about the adjustments he needs to do, but the former Dallas star just came up with a cold, yet confident answer.

“Very dangerous,” Doncic said about being added into the team that already has LeBron James.

The Lakers have now won its sixth game in a row, including nine out of the last 10 games. Los Angeles now just three games back from the third seed and rivals Denver Nuggets, who stand at 35-19, and just a few more from the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies, who have a 35-17 record so far.

Considering that Luka is on the squad now and may even well be on the rise once more, there is a strong chance that the Lakers may be on its way to come up with a finish in the second seed if they keep on thriving.