The Lakers bring a 3-0 record and the fourth seed into Tuesday night against a Portland club that has also yet to lose. The numbers behind the start are loud, the sample is tiny, and both facts matter.
Two Names Above the Title
Doncic is averaging 34.3 points, 8.0 assists and 7.3 rebounds, a line padded by the 52 he hung on Utah on Oct. 25. Austin Reaves sits at 26.7 points and 6.3 assists while making 61.5 percent of his threes. That says the offense belongs to two men, and that Reaves can carry it on a night Doncic scores 23, as he did against the Clippers. It does not prove Reaves is a 61.5 percent shooter. Three games is an audition, not a body of work.
Offense First, Defense Pending
Los Angeles owns an offensive rating of 125.9 and a defensive rating of 112.4, a plus-13.5 margin at a pace of 102.0. Last year's club went 53-29 with a plus-1.5 mark that ranked 14th in the league, with its defense 19th. So far this roster scores far better than that one did. It does not yet show that the defense has changed. The Lakers trailed Utah by 18 before rallying, and Portland arrives allowing 100.5 points per 100 possessions through two games.
The Price of the Marquee
Payroll stands at $201.3M, just above the $200.4M luxury tax line, with Doncic at $49.8M, Reaves at $41.2M and Walker Kessler at $30.2M. Kessler is returning 16.7 points and 8.0 rebounds in 31.0 minutes, without a made three, so his value sits at the rim, not on the perimeter. The race math says the current pace projects to 82-0, which is only arithmetic. The real test comes fast. After Portland, the Lakers play at the Clippers the next night, then visit Golden State on Oct. 30 and host Miami on Nov. 2. They sit two games ahead of 11th place, a cushion that one bad week could erase.
How many points is Luka Doncic averaging for the Lakers?
Doncic is averaging 34.3 points through three games, with 8.0 assists and 7.3 rebounds. That includes his 52-point night at Utah on Oct. 25.
Are the Lakers over the luxury tax?
Yes. Their payroll is $201.3M, which puts them above the $200.4M luxury tax line.
