JJ Redick once watched Luka Doncic produce a game-winning shot so ridiculous that he admitted he did not even realise the Dallas Mavericks had won. The two were teammates then, with Redick getting a firsthand look at the Slovenian’s ability to turn seemingly impossible situations into unforgettable moments.

Years later, their relationship has changed. Redick is now the Lakers’ head coach, while Doncic is the superstar expected to carry the franchise. But against the Portland Trail Blazers, the former teammate witnessed something beyond another scoring masterclass. Luka was beginning to take ownership of much more than the Lakers’ offense.

“Talking to his teammates… I was gonna go in the locker room to ask him a quick question about something I wanted to address when I came in at 11 on the clock to talk to the team, and I kind of walked in and he was leading a discussion on defensive coverage. It’s stuff like that that I’ve seen a lot of real growth…. So I love that from our team and from Luka, and he’s leading that right now,” Redick said on November 6.

The timing of Redick’s comments could hardly be more interesting. Just a day later, Doncic delivered 53 points against Portland, surpassed Michael Jordan in a remarkable historical scoring record and helped the Lakers escape a difficult night with a 124-118 victory. But before he could take over the game, the Slovenian had to deal with plenty of frustration.

The Lakers could barely buy a three-pointer in the opening half. They missed their first 15 attempts from beyond the arc, while Portland built a 16-point advantage and repeatedly punished their defensive mistakes. Doncic was struggling from deep himself, missing his first five attempts.

His frustration eventually boiled over in the first quarter. With just 6.5 seconds remaining, Jrue Holiday fouled him, and as Doncic fell out of bounds, he threw the ball towards referee Sean Wright’s leg. The official immediately assessed him a technical foul.

It was a moment that revealed just how frustrated the Slovenian had become. The Lakers had missed all 12 of their three-point attempts in the opening quarter, and Doncic was visibly unhappy with the physical defense he was facing without getting the calls he wanted.

“Of course, today I got another technical foul, but I really wasn’t trying to. I know there are things I still need to improve,” Doncic admitted after the game.

But that wasn’t the only moment when Luka’s emotions were on display. BrickCenter shared another clip from the game with the caption, “Luka is PISSED watching the Lakers blow the lead EVERY TIME he sits 😭.” The post captured the frustration surrounding Portland’s repeated attempts to fight its way back into the contest.

the fourth-quarter comeback made the underlying concern understandable. Even after building a 16-point advantage, Los Angeles found itself under pressure again, with Portland cutting the margin to four.

For Doncic, the challenge was finding a way to turn that frustration into something productive. With the Lakers struggling to find any rhythm, he needed something to change the atmosphere before halftime. He found it from an almost unbelievable distance.

With seconds remaining in the second quarter, Doncic received the ball and launched a shot from approximately 61 feet away. The ball travelled almost the entire length of the court before banking off the backboard and dropping through as the buzzer sounded. Portland still led 60-53, but the Lakers suddenly had something to celebrate.

For Doncic, however, the importance went beyond the spectacle. He understood that the Lakers needed a reason to believe they could still win.

“Oh yeah, definitely. I think it changes the whole energy in the team and in the gym. I thought it was an important shot to make. So that’s why I decided to make it,” Doncic said after the game.

The same player who had lost his temper in the opening quarter was now giving the Lakers a reason to believe. His frustration had not disappeared, but his response was becoming impossible for Portland to contain.

That change in energy soon showed up on the scoreboard. Doncic came out of halftime looking like a completely different player, scoring 20 points in the third quarter alone. The Lakers outscored Portland 34-15 during the period, turning a difficult first half into a 16-point advantage of their own.

A 17-0 run helped Los Angeles seize control, but Doncic was not doing everything alone. The Lakers also dominated the offensive glass during the quarter, collecting six offensive rebounds without allowing Portland one. They forced six turnovers, while the Trail Blazers managed just one.

The combination mattered. Portland could not get comfortable offensively, and Los Angeles finally found ways to generate possessions without relying entirely on difficult three-point shots. Doncic supplied the scoring punch, while the defense and rebounding helped turn his takeover into a genuine team comeback.

However, Portland refused to disappear. The Trail Blazers produced 43 points in the fourth quarter and repeatedly threatened to erase the Lakers’ advantage. Their comeback brought the margin down to four, forcing Los Angeles to find answers in the closing minutes.

Austin Reaves provided one of them. He finished with 25 points and combined with Doncic for 10 points during the closing stretch. Walker Kessler also contributed 16 points and 12 rebounds, giving the Lakers another important presence as Portland pushed forward.

Then Doncic delivered the finishing touch. His seven-foot floater with 27.7 seconds remaining restored a six-point advantage and gave the Lakers enough breathing room to close out the 124-118 victory.

The comeback was impressive, but the numbers surrounding it made the night even more remarkable. Doncic finished with 53 points on 17-of-33 shooting, including five three-pointers, while adding five rebounds and five assists. He had also reached a scoring milestone that placed him in company occupied by two of basketball’s greatest names.

Doncic finished his first nine games of the season with 361 points, moving past Michael Jordan’s 347 from the opening nine games of the 1986-87 campaign. The comparison stretches back to the NBA-ABA merger, with only Wilt Chamberlain’s 472 points through nine games in 1962-63 standing above him.

The scoring pace makes the achievement even more impressive. Doncic is averaging 40.1 points per game, a mark that only Chamberlain had previously reached through the first nine games of a season. The Lakers superstar has also recorded at least 40 points in six of those nine games.

His latest performance extended another extraordinary streak. Doncic became the first player in NBA history to record seven consecutive games with at least 35 points, five rebounds, five assists and five made three-pointers. He had previously held the six-game record himself before extending it against Portland.

Without the three-point requirement, the achievement becomes even more interesting. Doncic’s seven consecutive games with at least 35 points, five rebounds and five assists match Oscar Robertson’s historical mark from the 1964-65 season.

He has also scored at least 40 points in four consecutive games, joining Elgin Baylor, Kobe Bryant and George Mikan as the only Lakers players to accomplish that feat. Portland’s defense had just become the latest to experience what happens when Doncic finds his rhythm.

But the scoring records do not fully explain why Redick’s comments about his leadership are worth revisiting. There has been a noticeable effort from Doncic to become more involved in the team’s development, and that process began well before the season.

During the offseason, Doncic reportedly lost approximately 38 pounds after changing his diet, reducing sugar and gluten while increasing his protein intake. He also placed greater emphasis on conditioning and taking care of his body, hoping to improve his ability to sustain the demands of an NBA season.

“Obviously, be the best that I can be, take care of myself. This year, with my team, I think we did a huge step. But this is just the start, you know. I need to keep going. Can’t stop,” Doncic said about his progress.

The physical changes were only one part of his preparation. In August, he also organised and paid for a five-day Lakers trip to Slovenia, bringing his teammates to the country where his basketball journey began.

The group spent time together away from the court, with activities including golf, fishing, sightseeing and rowing competitions at Lake Bled. Doncic even arranged a private plane for the players, making sure the entire experience was something they could share as a team.

JJ Redick appreciated the effort behind the trip.

“I could tell how excited he was and how much thought he put into that trip. And the guys all just enjoyed it. That was a great team-building exercise,” Redick said.

Rob Pelinka also recalled how much the experience meant to the players, particularly when Collin Sexton recognised the opportunity they had been given.

“I think at one point Collin Sexton stood up and was like, ‘Look at where we are. There are a lot of people that never get to come overseas and experience [this]. This is amazing, and someone’s treating us to it,'” Pelinka recalled.

Sexton himself made his appreciation clear.

“I’m definitely coming back. We had an amazing time. Great experience. Nothing but good vibes, nothing but love. Luka, man, appreciate you for bringing us out to your country and taking us back where it all started,” Sexton said.

The relationships formed during that trip have also been visible in the way Doncic and Reaves interact. Their friendship goes beyond simply sharing offensive responsibilities, with Reaves revealing just how frequently the two communicate away from basketball.

“Luka, I mean, he’s one of my best friends on this planet. Talk to him almost every single day. He sends me videos of his golf swing and asks me what he can do to get better,” Reaves said.

That relationship also gives the Lakers a different kind of leadership dynamic. Jake LaRavia explained that the two stars influence the group in different ways, with Doncic often leading through his actions and Reaves being more vocal.

“They get along so well that it’s kind of easy for them to co-lead this team—in different ways sometimes. I think sometimes Luka leads by example and we watch him and we watch how he goes about himself. AR can sometimes be a bit more vocal. But I think they both do a great job,” LaRavia said.

Doncic himself understands that leadership cannot belong to just one person.

“I see myself in this role, you know, nothing new, but it’s very important. Everybody, the whole team, you know, will look up to me, I will look up to them. And it’s just there should be many leaders,” he said.

That is perhaps the most important distinction in the Lakers’ evolving structure. Redick remains the coach, but he has made it clear that Doncic needs the freedom to use his creativity and influence the team’s decisions. Their relationship is built around giving the superstar responsibility rather than restricting his instincts.

And Doncic’s growing influence does not mean the Lakers can afford to become dependent on him for everything. Reaves and Kessler were important against Portland, while the team’s defensive effort in the third quarter demonstrated how much more effective Los Angeles can be when everyone contributes.

For now, Doncic is producing numbers that put him alongside Jordan, Chamberlain and the greatest scorers in Lakers history. But his performance against Portland offered something beyond another entry in the record books.

Redick once marvelled at Luka’s impossible shots as a teammate. Now, he is watching the same player take greater responsibility for the team around him. The 53 points were extraordinary, but the growing leadership behind them might be even more important for the Lakers.