One of the biggest games of the NBA regular season will take place tomorrow as Luka Doncic faces his old franchise, the Dallas Mavericks, for the first time. As a representative of the Los Angeles Lakers, Doncic will be looking to send a message to the franchise that traded him in his prime half a season after he took them to the NBA Finals.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick spoke about Doncic’s first game against the Mavericks. He recognized how weird the situation would feel to the star but believed he’d be fine.
“I think he’ll be fine. Every day that he’s been with us it’s becoming a little more normal. I’ve been there. The first time you play your old team, particularly this close in time duration, it’s going to be weird. But he’ll be OK.”
Redick also discussed Doncic’s mid-season adjustment to LA after he was visibly upset about being traded by the Mavericks. The coach made it clear that this adjustment is nothing compared to what Luka did as a teenager when he moved to Madrid, Spain, from Slovenia to pursue his basketball career.
“I think just having familiar faces around is great for him. You never know though, because you’re talking about a guy who left home as a teenager to go to Madrid in a different country and learn how to speak Spanish on his own. Like, he’s a different dude. But I think for him, given the magnitude of the change of scenery, I think having us around to help support him, I think has been great.”
Doncic will be facing the Mavericks in what’ll be a revenge game for many people around him on the Lakers right now.
Redick himself is a former teammate of Doncic’s from Dallas, as are Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, who were traded alongside Doncic. Dorian Finney-Smith is a former Maverick and one of Doncic’s best friends, while former Mavericks offensive coordinator Greg St. Jean is on the Lakers coaching staff this season.
Finney-Smith made it clear that he was excited to see what Doncic does against their former team while prioritizing the team goal of getting a win.
“I think he’s going to be excited, but everybody in the locker room is excited. We got his back. It’s gonna be a hard-fought game, we know Jason Kidd is gonna have them ready to come in and compete. We just gotta match their intensity.”
“I’m excited, man. I know (Doncic is) gonna be ready but I try not to put too much pressure on him because at the end of the day, we just want to get the win. We get the win, I know he’s gonna be happy.”
After breaking out of a mini-slump through his first three Lakers games by demolishing the Denver Nuggets, Doncic will hope his talents are at their sharpest in a fascinating matchup against the Mavericks.
The pieces the Mavericks received in the trade include Anthony Davis and Max Christie, although Davis won’t be on the court as he spends time away due to an adductor injury. Christie has broken out as a high-level rotational player on the injury-riddled Mavericks, but his production won’t outmatch Luka’s right now.
The teams will face each other again in April, with this game likely being more tense as it’ll be hosted in Dallas and should have a healthy Anthony Davis on display as well.
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