"This reminds me of Shaq & Kobe" - Gilbert Arenas highlights shades of Lakers' 3x champs in LeBron James-Luka Doncic duo

The new-look LA Lakers are learning how to play and win together, thus becoming a formidable threat in the tight Western Conference race. In particular, the fresh tandem of LeBron James and Luka Doncic leads the juggernaut, as the team is on a six-straight-victory streak.

In the eyes of player-turner-podcaster Gilbert Arenas, the combination of James and Doncic looks somewhat familiar. On Monday, 'Agent Zero' went on X (formerly Twitter) to post a "Gil's Arena" clip in which he compared the duo to the legendary Lakers pairing of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant - who won three successive championships at LA between 2000 and 2002:

"This reminds me of Shaq and Kobe," Arenas said in the clip. "Everybody's game plan was to double Shaq. And then Kobe became a god. Now it's like, s***, what do we do now?"

Arenas, who entered the NBA after O'Neal and Bryant led the Lakers to a second consecutive title, said that the same "pick your poison" risk on defense applied to James and Doncic.

"Everyone's been used to doubling James to get him off the ball and make other plays," Arenas observed. "They brought in Luka, now everybody has to double him. And if you're doubling him, now LeBron James is open on the weak side or gets to play one on one."

The LeBron James-Luka Doncic synergy has elevated the LA Lakers to the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference. The team has won eight of its last 10 games, which is a scary sight for teams as the postseason looms on the horizon.

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Lakers HC praises new addition Luka Doncic for unleashing "inner demon"

Another driving force behind the LA Lakers' recent success has been head coach JJ Redick's dynamic with Doncic and James. Redick, in fact, was a teammate of the Slovenian star at the Dallas Mavericks.

After the Lakers defeated the LA Clippers 108-102 on Sunday, Redick praised the Slovenian guard for unleashing a different side:

"JJ Redick says Luka Doncic was 'fantastic' tonight and credited his spirit and 'inner demon' for setting the tone for the team," the Lakers Nation X account tweeted.

JJ Redick will continue to count on Luka Doncic's "fantastic" performance on the court as the Lakers look to secure homecourt advantage in the playoffs.