With the shot clock ticking below one second, in a move considered bold even for him, Luka Doncic stepped back to evade the long reach of Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels` 6-foot-11 wingspan and launched a high-arcing shot towards the Crypto.com Arena ceiling.
The ball dropped softly through the net, beating the shot clock and giving the Lakers a one-point lead with 6:30 remaining in the fourth quarter of Game 5 on Wednesday night.
“Lu-ka! Lu-ka!” chants filled the building. Doncic smirked as he backpedaled down the court, displaying his characteristic blend of determination and cleverness, even as a back injury sustained during a first-half collision with Wolves guard Donte DiVincenzo bothered him.
In that instant, Doncic was the audacious scorer for which he has become known; the Los Angeles Lakers were the team with more to prove; and Laker Nation was reminded of the feeling of boundless hope they experienced that late Saturday night in early February when news of one of the most shocking trades in league history first broke.
As it turned out, this was the final glimpse of glory for the Lakers` 2024-25 season.
It was the last shot Doncic made and the last lead L.A. held, as Minnesota closed the game with a 16-8 run and the Lakers missed nine of their final 12 shots (with Doncic missing his last two).
This rapid loss of momentum mirrored the trajectory of both the Lakers` season and Doncic`s journey. Few could relate more to such a dramatic turn of events than he.
The changes he underwent after being traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers three months ago were numerous and profound.
The 26-year-old – a first-team All-NBA selection in each of the past five seasons – transitioned from being a franchise cornerstone and a hopeful second coming, potentially a one-team Hall-of-Famer, to joining a team built around LeBron James and rich with its own history of legendary stars.
It was a season defined by transformational change, conflicting narratives, and attempts at a fresh start.
Not everything was unfamiliar. Doncic brought his Dallas pregame ritual to Los Angeles. At the conclusion of his spot shooting around the 3-point arc, Doncic attempts three half-court shots. If he makes one, several Lakers assistant coaches who rebound for him must do pushups. If he misses all three, Doncic owes the coaches body-weight squats or pushups, which he completes at the center court circle.
This small ritual exemplifies Doncic seeking comfort and routine in a season lacking either. But sources told ESPN it was also a response to the whispers about him following the trade – a commitment to squeezing in extra conditioning after joining the Lakers with a strained left calf that sidelined him for five and a half weeks.
His game-day routine starts at 9 a.m. with bodywork, shooting practice, weightlifting, and a cold tub plunge, sources said. Maintaining his enjoyable pregame routine, one source noted, was a sign of Doncic recognizing that his quick return to peak form with his new team was essential for the Lakers to reach their full potential.
The vision for their potential surpassed their actual performance. Wednesday night`s game capped a disappointing first-round exit in five games against a Minnesota team that proved bigger, deeper, and younger. The Lakers were, in most aspects, outplayed.
Their season was, in many ways, a race against time: Doncic hurrying his recovery and integration into the Lakers` ecosystem; first-year coach JJ Redick accelerating his learning curve; president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka trying to rebuild the roster around Doncic; and James somehow again delivering championship-level play for his team after turning 40 years old.
Time ran out for chemistry to develop. Time ran out to acquire a center to complement Doncic and strengthen rim protection. And time is running out for James.
“I don`t know,” James commented after Game 5 when asked how much longer he intends to play. “I don`t have the answer to that.”
The Lakers entered the series as favorites to advance. They now face an unexpectedly early offseason filled with questions and uncertainty.
The Lakers` postseason slogan, “Unleash Joy,” was intended to evoke Doncic`s cheerful demeanor in those half-court shootouts. The team even promoted it with an email, stating the motto was for their “2025 playoff run.”
That run lasted just 12 days. The Lakers lost Game 1 – the first playoff opener they hosted in L.A. since James joined the team in 2018 – by 22 points. They responded with a win in Game 2 before losing the next two straight in Minneapolis, being outscored by a combined 20 points in the final five minutes of both games.
L.A.`s most significant weakness was in the frontcourt.
Three days after trading Anthony Davis to Dallas for Doncic, the Lakers arranged a deal with the Charlotte Hornets to acquire 7-footer Mark Williams, a promising but injury-prone young center who was supposed to provide Doncic a vertical threat around the rim other than Jaxson Hayes. Sources told ESPN that Williams was Doncic`s preferred lob partner from a list of potential trade targets, a preference he communicated to the team, based on his effectiveness with Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford in Dallas.
The agreement was reached the night before the trade deadline, a last-minute move by the Lakers` front office after successfully negotiating the Doncic deal and acquiring 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 sources familiar with the situation told ESPN that the Lakers “just couldn`t accept what they saw.”
The trade was rescinded, a rare event 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 passed, Pelinka couldn`t assemble another trade with the same assets, so L.A. signed 7-footer Alex Len off the waiver wire. Sources said Len was already waiting in an Indianapolis hotel ready to sign with the Pacers after being released by the Sacramento Kings but was persuaded by the opportunity to play with James, Doncic, and the Lakers, changing his plans.
Len joined the team but didn`t earn a spot in Redick`s rotation. After signing with L.A., Len appeared in only 10 of 31 games. Meanwhile, Williams played 21 games for Charlotte late in the season, averaging 14.9 points per game on 62.5% shooting.
Redick used Hayes for the first four minutes of Game 4 before keeping him on the bench for the rest of the series.
As if Minnesota`s depth wasn`t already a clear advantage – they acquired two rotation players for the price of one by trading Karl-Anthony Towns to New York before the season for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, strengthening a group that reached the conference finals a year ago – it became even more pronounced as the series progressed and Redick tightened his rotation even further.
Redick replaced Hayes with Finney-Smith and played that starting five for the entire second half of Game 4. This strategy was widely criticized and had never been done before in a playoff game in the nearly 30 years since substitution data began being tracked in 1997, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. It was a high-risk gamble in a crucial moment, and Redick lost.
However, the first-year coach doubled down on his approach before Game 5, responding pointedly to a question about whether he`d consulted his assistant coaches before playing Doncic (recovering from a stomach virus that severely limited him in Game 3) and James (dealing with a left hip flexor and left groin issue coming into the postseason) for 24 consecutive minutes.
“Are you suggesting that`s because I`m inexperienced, and it was an inexperienced decision that I made?” Redick questioned. “Do you believe I don`t discuss substitutions with my assistants during every single timeout?”
“That`s a peculiar assumption,” he stated before leaving the press conference.
After the game, with emotions raw, Redick acknowledged his need for coaching improvement.
“I know I can improve,” he said. “I know I will improve. I don`t find satisfaction in how the year unfolded. That doesn`t mean I`m not proud of what the group achieved, and how we adapted quickly, and positioned ourselves for home-court advantage in the first round. But there`s always room to get better, and I can improve significantly.”
Following Game 1, Wolves forward Jaden McDaniels (6-9) commented that he took advantage of the Lakers` lack of size.
“I noticed at certain times when they lacked a rim protector in the game, when Jaxson Hayes wasn`t on the court,” he said. “If he`s off the court, I`m essentially the tallest player out there. So, I don`t think anyone could defend me at the rim.”
McDaniels led his team with 25 points on 11-for-13 shooting in that game.
In Game 5, the Lakers were significantly outrebounded 54-37, with Minnesota grabbing 18 offensive rebounds compared to L.A.`s 8.
“We couldn`t secure rebounds,” Lakers forward Rui Hachimura lamented. “We need someone to get rebounds.”
Rudy Gobert, standing 7-1, collected nine offensive boards and 24 total rebounds, scoring 27 points on 12-for-15 shooting.
“Gobert resembled Shaq,” a team source told ESPN after the game.
Sitting at the lectern after the Lakers` season-ending loss, 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 teammate AD said it, what he needed, and he was gone the following week.”
Despite the disappointing conclusion, there were encouraging moments this season that demonstrated a compelling proof of concept.
For instance, an eight-game winning streak in late February featured victories against strong opponents like Denver, Minnesota, New York, and two wins against the Clippers.
However, there were also perplexing losses, including one in Brooklyn and two against the Chicago Bulls within six days. The first was an inexplicable 31-point blowout. The second, ending with a 47-foot buzzer-beater by Josh Giddey, hinted at some of the problems that ultimately derailed the season.
After holding a 16-point lead entering the fourth quarter, the Lakers faltered. Leading by five with 12 seconds left, Bulls wing Patrick Williams hit an open three to narrow the deficit to 115-113.
On the subsequent inbound play, James threw a poor pass that Giddey stole. Giddey then passed to an open Coby White, who made a 26-foot three-pointer to give the Bulls the lead.
Following a late-season road victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder, James admitted the team was still a work in progress.
“We`re simply trying to accumulate good habits,” James stated. “It`s all about habits. We`re trying to build our habits now, heading into the final stretch of the season.”
Habits are strengthened through repetition and refined through trial and error.
“It felt like speed dating,” one team source shared with ESPN. “Even if things were going well, your approach isn`t going to work perfectly with every partner. There`s only so much time to put in the work.”
Still, the Lakers have reasons for optimism. In James` first season with the Lakers, they missed the playoffs, but won the title the following year after adding Davis. Similarly, in Doncic`s first season with Kyrie Irving, the Mavericks missed the playoffs, only to reach the Finals the next year after adjusting their supporting roster mid-season.
A source close to Doncic told ESPN that the Slovenian star defeated Minnesota the previous season with a Mavericks team “specifically built around him.” In L.A., the source noted, “Luka inherited these players, and these players inherited Luka.”
The Lakers were tasked with adapting their offensive and defensive strategies – which were new anyway under coach Redick – to suit Doncic`s strengths while trying to mitigate his weaknesses.
Whereas Nico Harrison, the Mavericks` President of Basketball Operations and General Manager, reportedly felt Doncic`s flaws outweighed his brilliance, the Lakers embrace the challenge of helping the star guard reach his ultimate potential.
“It`s incredibly exciting to have the prospect of him leading our next decade of Laker basketball, being able to build a team centered around him as the focal point of our franchise,” Pelinka stated Thursday during an end-of-season press conference.
After the early playoff exit, Doncic can finally relax. A source close to him described this season as “the most unpredictable year of Luka`s life.”
He plans to play for the Slovenian men`s national basketball team at EuroBasket this summer, sources said. His “body team” – including national team strength coach Anže Maček and physiotherapist Javier Barrio Calvo – will be with him throughout the offseason.
Redick, appearing with Pelinka at the press conference, outlined his offseason expectations for the team. In a message seemingly directed at Doncic, Redick said: “We need to get into championship condition.”
On August 2, the Lakers are eligible to offer Doncic a four-year, $229 million extension. According to ESPN NBA front office insider Bobby Marks, Doncic could also opt for a three-year, $165 million extension with a player option in 2028. This would allow him to sign a maximum deal in 2028 that would pay him 35% of the salary cap for five seasons.
Sources close to Doncic indicate he will take his time deciding, although he told Malika Andrews before the playoffs that he wants to remain in Los Angeles.
Doncic was reportedly heartbroken by the trade to the Lakers, having previously stated his desire to retire in Dallas. However, there is a positive takeaway, a comfort for the sting of a defeat that raises more questions than it answers.
“For Luka,” a source near him commented, “it`s somewhat like, `I`m wanted here.`”
James made a deliberate effort to empower Doncic since his arrival, sources said, and will not attempt to influence his teammate`s decision.
“No, that`s not my role,” James told. “I believe… no, I know Luka understands how I feel about him. Ultimately, that trade was made with the future in mind. It wasn`t for me. Luka must decide what is best for his own future. He`s [26], I`m 40, so his career shouldn`t be based on mine. That`s the reality.”
“But I hope, obviously, [he stays long-term]. Laker fans truly love him here. L.A. has embraced him. We value him as a teammate, as a brother. But ultimately, he has to make his own choice. Frankly, I won`t be playing much longer.”
The Lakers have clearly signaled their intent to invest in Doncic for the long term.
“I believe Luka Doncic joining forces with the Los Angeles Lakers represents a momentous occasion in NBA history,” Pelinka declared at his introductory press conference.
However, until that date in August arrives, the team must successfully present its vision and demonstrate to Doncic that this year`s first-round loss was an anomaly, merely a difficult beginning to what they hope will be a lasting and successful partnership.
