Jazz HC Will Hardy Reacts to Luka Doncic's Lakers Debut

The Utah Jazz, like the rest of the NBA world, got their first look at Luka Doncic in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform on Monday night.

And in the end, while it wasn't a performance where Luka dominated those around him as an MVP-caliber player, the new Lakers duo of Doncic and LeBron James proved too much for this young Jazz group. The pairing took home their first victory in Los Angeles, 132-113 –– Doncic finishing with 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists in his debut.

After the game, Jazz coach Will Hardy revealed how he saw the Lakers' debut of Luka Doncic.

"I don't think that any of us knew exactly what to expect as it relates to LeBron and Luka," Hardy said following Monday's loss. "And in a lot of ways, they're really special players. I don't think that's why we lost. There wasn't a moment in the game where I felt like 'Oh my gosh, what are we going to do about this thing?' I felt like they were sort of feeling each other out in the game. They're very smart players, move the ball great, and made a lot of really good decisions. I don't think we've seen anywhere close to the peak of those two playing together and what that's going to look like."

The Jazz seemed to be lagging a bit behind from Los Angeles throughout the entire 48 minutes despite the Lakers' rally to find and build some chemistry together. Utah shot 30% from the three-point line on 40 attempts, lost the battle on the boards, and had 19 turnovers to the Lakers' 11.

As a result, Luka, LeBron, and the Lakers took advantage, bringing the Jazz down to their 40th loss on the season, and their third to Los Angeles.

With just one game under the belt of Doncic and James playing alongside one another, it's easy to see how these two could continue to mesh better and more effectively down the line. Two of the most talented and high-IQ players to play the game have a clear ceiling to develop into one of the best duos the league has to offer –– that dynamic just might take some time to gel.

The Jazz will have one last opportunity to prevent the season sweep on Los Angeles which will be on a quick turnaround on Wednesday night. The Lakers will travel to Utah for their fourth and final matchup of the year in the Delta Center at 7 PM MT.

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