LeBron James did not dance around the moment. After the comeback win in Dallas, he spoke with a calm certainty that felt deliberate. According to LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers are Luka Doncic’s team now, and the Mavericks game was the clearest proof yet of what that actually looks like in real time.
“A new level to his game, I think the most important is just his comfort. Obviously, when you get traded midseason, and him spending his first 7 or 8 years here. Obviously, it was shock to everybody.”
“Everybody that was involved, everybody that wasn’t involved in this whole sports world. Obviously him and the guys that was involved in the trade, but I think the biggest thing this year it’s just more comfortable.”
“Understanding the system, understanding the city, the city embracing him. Understanding that this is his team. We’re all rallying around him. Obviously, we know it’s kind of an emotional/big game when you come back and play your former team.”
“He showed who he is tonight.”
That shift showed up loudest in Dallas.
The Lakers looked cooked for long stretches against the Dallas Mavericks. They trailed by 15 points at one point and struggled to get stops, and let Dallas dictate tempo early. The building was tense. Then the game tightened, and Luka took over.
He finished with 33 points, 11 assists, and eight rebounds, controlling the fourth quarter possession by possession. The Mavericks tried blitzing him. They failed. They tried switching to smaller defenders. It failed. When help came, he hit wide-open shooters. When it didn’t, he punished them himself.
What stood out was not just the scoring. It was the composure. Even with five turnovers, Doncic had a massive plus-minus because he slowed the game down when the Lakers needed order. He lived at the free throw line, went 14 of 15, and bent the Mavericks’ defense until it cracked. The Lakers closed the game on their terms and walked out with a 116-110 win that felt heavier than a regular-season victory.
LeBron’s role in that win mattered too. He did not force anything. He finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, making timely cuts, pushing in transition, and defending multiple positions. Instead of initiating every possession, he let Luka steer the offense and filled in the gaps. That is not a concession. It is a calculated decision from someone who understands how teams actually win.
LeBron also acknowledged the emotional weight of the night. Playing a former team can throw even elite players off balance. Luka did not blink. He showed exactly who he is, and the Lakers rallied around that confidence. The rebounding surge, the bench energy, the defensive adjustments late, all of it flowed from Luka controlling the game’s rhythm.
Statistically, the season backs up the eye test. Doncic is averaging 33.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.7 assists while shooting 46.7% from the field and 33.4% from three-point range. But the Mavericks game made something else clear. This is no longer about coexistence between two superstars. It is about hierarchy.
When LeBron says this is Luka Doncic’s team, it is not a soundbite. It is a blueprint. The Dallas comeback showed how it works. Luka drives the engine. LeBron amplifies it. And if this balance holds, the Lakers are not just transitioning eras. They are doing it without losing control of the present.
