The Los Angeles Lakers are hoping to be the franchise that Luka Doncic finally wins his first championship with. The Dallas Mavericks traded the reigning NBA Finalist and Western Conference Finals MVP at age 25 in February. It was due to a lack of faith in Doncic’s abilities to stay healthy or be mature off the court, things he’s already working on improving in LA.
Doncic was arguably the most accomplished 25-year-old since LeBron. Still, he was discarded by the franchise over future concerns. LeBron’s recent reflection on the ‘Mind The Game’ podcast about how he understood basketball after turning 25 years old shows that Mavericks GM Nico Harrison might have discarded Luka too hastily.
“It was around Year 7 or 8, I was around 25-26. When I first entered the league, I always had the mind for the game. I knew I could think the game, and I knew my body was ready for the game. What I did not know, what I did not have, was accumulating hours to perfect the process.”
“I thought when I took my team to Finals in (2007) data get 22, I thought I was going to do that for the next three-four years. Then, at 23, I lost in the second round. I didn’t get back to the finals till 2011. I thought it was gonna happen just like that.”
“My process wasn’t where it needed to be or if I even had enough time for my process to be where it needed to be. I didn’t win a championship until I finally was understanding and had the ability to understand the process, to unlock the process, and the go after it.”
LeBron James saying it wasn’t until Year 7 or 8 when he was 25/26 years old that he fully understood it was all about the process is sobering
The Mavs giving up on Luka Dončić at that same age AFTER going to the Finals is…🤦🏾♂️ #MFFL
(🎥: @mindthegamepod) pic.twitter.com/JoiYQfAuJK
— Kevin Gray Jr. (@KevinGraySports) April 4, 2025
If the man who is the NBA’s leading scorer admits he didn’t know what he was doing until he was past 25 years old, it’s fair to give generational talents to grow into that maturity. Doncic won’t have a choice now, given the serious questions around his mentality have become, but it’s foolish to assume he would have never changed.
He’s clearly a perfectionist on the court and has been playing basketball since he was 13 years old. His love for the sport is clear, and he’s bound to continue working on himself to be the most effective version of himself. He has to do that now, especially with the Mavericks’ unflattory post-trade remarks about Doncic.
Luka has been averaging 26.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 7.9 assists since joining the Lakers. While he’s currently in a three-game slump where he’s averaged 23.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 8.3 assists, fans are optimistic he can turn it around.
He was a key reason for their loss to the Golden State Warriors last night, but hopefully, that ‘unacceptable’ showing leads to a new version of Luka who proves Nico Harrison was stupid for giving up on him at age 25.
