NBA analyst humbles LeBron James' haters after incessant blame game over Luka Doncic's 14.7 ppg start - "Come up with better evidence" 

NBA analyst Ryen Russillo checked LeBron James' haters for blaming the Lakers superstar over Luka Doncic's first three games for the franchise. Doncic averaged a measly 14.7 points. James' critics widely believed that it was a byproduct of the four-time MVP's high usage rate.

However, Russillo thinks critics overlooked key aspects of Doncic's struggles. Russillo revealed he attended Doncic's debut at the Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 10 against the Jazz and realized that his unusually low production had nothing to do with James. The NBA analyst said on The Bill Simmons Podcast's latest episode released Sunday while offering humbling advice to James' haters:

"Some of the worst anti-LeBron content that I've ever seen was Luka's stat lines in those first three games with LeBron," Russillo said (30:00).

"Like, I get it, if you hate LeBron, you hate LeBron, but come up with better evidence than that. Cause' I went to Luka's first game ... He hadn't played in like two months, I went to Crypto (arena) that night to watch him play against Utah, and he was so tired like four times up and down the court. I'm like, 'Oh man, he's so tired.'"

The Lakers actively played Luka Doncic more off the ball, but it wasn't because of LeBron James. The Slovenian hadn't played since Christmas and was coming off a calf injury. It was the lengthiest injury hiatus of his career. Doncic was playing his way back into shape because of the ailment.

He didn't have his legs and was trying to adapt to his new teammates, leading to coach JJ Redick playing through more off of James and Austin Reaves. Doncic was also on a minute restriction, one of the factors most critics left out when blaming James for his new co-star's struggles.

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Ryen Russillo points out major moment from Luka Doncic's 32-point burst for LeBron James and Lakers vs. Nuggets

Most narratives around the new-look Lakers were put to bed after Luka Doncic dropped 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals in the team's 123-100 win against the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic and Co. had LA's number entering this clash with a 13-1 run against James' squad over the past 14 outings, including the playoffs.

However, Doncic had a breakout performance in the Lakers' jersey after JJ Redick ran his offense through the Slovenian, settling in three games after his debut. Ryen Russillo, who attended the game and pointed out a major moment, explained Luka Doncic's improved comfort level with the Lakers on The Bill Simmons Podcast:

"He (Luka) made a play and then he cycled out to the 3-point line and was wide open, and he didn't get the ball back, and it's the first time I've seen him p**sed, with the Lakers, and he put his hands up, like, 'You idiots! Like, what are you doing?,' and I'm going this is great. This is what you want out of him."

While LeBron James, 40, is playing at a high level and arguably as a top-10 player, Luka Doncic undeniably remains the best player on the team. The sooner he commands the Lakers on the court, the better it would be for them to achieve their goals.