It was an emotional night for Luka Doncic when he faced his former team (the Dallas Mavericks) mere weeks after they traded him. In a recent viral interview, Doncic’s dad, Sasa, revealed his son’s initial thoughts after securing the win in such a pivotal matchup.
“Luka was happy because they won,” said Doncic via POPo lnKanal. “About his game, he knows he can play better but it’s still too early for him to get used to this new environment. I believe that from now on there will be more matches and he’ll know his teammates even better. Otherwise he was very happy that they won the game, and because that was Dallas, he was even happier.”
Tuesday’s showdown against the Mavericks was the game of the week, featuring Doncic going up against the same team that turned their backs on him. His scoring was relatively low by his standards but he put up a triple-double with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists on 35.3% shooting.
Most importantly, the Lakers won the game and Luka got closer to finding his place within the offense. As LeBron James steps back, Doncic is taking control and Sasa knows it won’t be long before he’s back to dominating on a nightly basis.
As someone who likes the ball in his hands, it was expected for Doncic to need time to learn how to play with LeBron James, who has been the primary ball handler for the Lakers for years. Already, they are showing great progress and there is no doubt they will develop their chemistry.
For now, however, Luka is still acclimating to life as a Laker as it’s only been five games since the trade. Doncic, who spent seven years with the Mavericks, was shellshocked by the deal and Sasa himself admitted that his son felt betrayed by his team.
To add insult to injury, the Mavericks defended their decision by blaming Luka’s poor health habits and conditioning. There were reports that Luka was feared within the franchise and that Nico Harrison wanted to free his team from Doncic’s control.
The conditions of Luka’s exit have given him the perfect fuel to begin the best stretch of his career and he has seen enough to believe they can win it all. The Mavericks created a monster out of Doncic and now he’s more driven than he’s ever been to help lead his brand new team to the depths of the Western Conference playoffs.
So far, the Lakers are 7-2 in the Luka era and they are looking like a contender to win the West. While it’s still too early to make any conclusions on his Lakers tenure, Doncic is already making a huge impact both on and off the court.
Things are finally starting to settle after the trade and Doncic continues to look better after every passing game. Meanwhile, stifling team defense from LeBron James and others is keeping the competition in check and allowing Doncic to shine.
The result has been an inspiring showing for the new-look Lakers, and Luka is poised to make the Mavericks pay for trading him for the rest of his career.
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