The Los Angeles Lakers suffered a disappointing playoff exit in the first round at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves, but that didn't come as too much of a surprise with a roster that was still in flux after acquiring Luka Doncic midseason.

While you always take Doncic if he is presented to you, trading away Anthony Davis for him in the middle of the season left the Lakers without any reliable bigs heading into the playoffs. After the proposed trade for Mark Williams fell through, the Lakers didn't have any options in the middle.

That really hurt them against the Timberwolves in the first round, but now the Lakers can focus on building a roster around Doncic and LeBron James heading into next season. After playing with James for a few months to end this season, Doncic couldn't believe how intense James' routines actually are.

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“I’ve never played with a guy like this,” Doncic said. “Being traded to LA, it was different, but just to play with guys like him, it's unbelievable. I can learn so much stuff. Off the court, he does so much stuff just to be ready for the game. Obviously on the court everybody knows what kind of player he is.

He shows up like 10 hours before the game… I came to the arena and he was already done working out.”

Doncic and James unquestionably form one of the best duos in the NBA, but they need some more help around them in order to compete for a championship in the loaded Western Conference. The Lakers were down to just five players that JJ Redick trusted in that first-round series, which is not a sustainable way to make it through multiple rounds in the playoffs.

Doncic was also recovering from a calf injury and playing himself into shape over the back half of the season. A full offseason to get ready and get acclimated in Los Angeles should do wonders for him, and he and James should be ready to make some noise in the purple and gold again next season.