The trade for Luka Doncic and immediate connection he made with LeBron James has transformed the Lakers into legitimate title contenders.

For the first time since they won the NBA Championship in 2020, the Los Angeles Lakers will not have to fight their way through the NBA Play-In Tournament to get into the playoffs.

One of the negative narratives that has dogged LeBron James in recent years is that he doesn't play any defense. There has been a fair amount of truth in that narrative, partly because he has had to conserve his energy on that end of the court as a concession to the insane amount of wear and tear he has accumulated over 22 NBA seasons.