Dongli helped the Lakers win five consecutive games and rank second in the Western Conference. James is really going to become the third player on the team.

As the Lakers defeated the Spurs, they have won five consecutive victories recently. They currently rank second in the Western Conference with a total record of seven wins and two losses, and are second only to the defending champion Thunder in the league.

The Lakers have experienced very big changes in recent times. First, owner Jeanie Buss sold most of the team's equity for 10 billion US dollars, and then renewed Doncic's contract with a high salary, which directly laid the cornerstone of the future player. At the same time, they were also the first team to dare not give priority to James's contract renewal in the last year of his contract. I thought this would be a hidden danger for the Lakers in the new season, but I didn't expect that when James was absent due to injury, Doncic and Rivers took up the team's banner.

Doncic became the team's defensive colander last season because of his physical gain, and was easily kicked out of the playoffs by the Timberwolves. In order to restore his personal peak condition, Doncic performed devilish training in the off-season, losing nearly 30 pounds of fat, and once again became a European male model from a greasy uncle. After successfully losing weight, Doncic has fully demonstrated his personal offensive skills and all-round skills. Currently, Doncic can average a terrifying triple-double of 40+11+9.2 per game.

According to the current situation and status, Doncic is very likely to win the first MVP trophy of his career. In addition, Rivers, who is known as the strongest undrafted player in history, also showed great personal strength and terrifying scoring explosive power, supporting the game when both Doncic and James were absent, and currently averages 31+5+9 per game. The wonderful performance of the two has led to the Lakers' current high ranking. No one is even discussing the impact of James' absence on the team.

If James doesn't come back, he might really become the third player on the team, or even be ranked behind Ayton.