Luka Doncic has only donned the Purple and Gold for 27 games so far, but he’s getting more comfortable every day. In a chat with the media this week, Doncic gave an update on the transition and whether or not Los Angeles can be a place he sees as home.
“It just feels like getting into a new home, you know?” Doncic said, via The Athletic. “Dallas was my home for seven years, almost seven years. It really felt like home. So, I’m just trying to build a new home, and I’m getting more and more comfortable.”
It’s been months since the blockbuster trade that made Luka Doncic a Laker, but he’s still trying to adjust to his new reality. After being drafted third overall in 2018, Doncic spent seven years with the Mavericks and embraced his role as the face of the franchise.
By all accounts, Doncic was happy in Dallas, and he had no plans to leave them behind. In fact, Luka was preparing to sign a supermax contract with the organization that would have kept him on the books for another five years.
So when Dallas up and traded the Slovenian superstar with no warning, it shook the entire NBA world and even Luka himself was unsure how to respond. In the ultimate act of betrayal, the Mavericks also trashed Luka’s work ethic and called out his poor defensive effort.
Now that he’s a Laker, Doncic has tried to move on from the trade, but feelings of anguish linger whenever he looks back on his run in Dallas. In last night’s game, Doncic made his first return to his old arena (American Airlines Center) in an emotional and highly intense experience.
Doncic cried after watching the tribute video, and he took out all his frustrations on the court with an amazing performance: 45 points, eight rebounds, and six assists on 57.1% shooting. Knowing how hard the season has been for Luka, JJ Redick made it clear that the Lakers stand behind their star, and they will do whatever it takes to make him happy in Los Angeles.
With the playoffs approaching, Doncic is ready to move on and let go of his shocking ordeal, but the process will take some time. As Luka gets more comfortable on the court, he’s going to slowly build a new life for himself and his family in the city, just like had did in Dallas in 2018
Regardless of what happens next, the feeling and connection he had to the Mavericks, the city of Dallas, and the basketball fans who lived there will not die easily for Doncic. He became a star in the city and forged relationships there that will last a lifetime (like Dirk Nowitzki).
At 26 years old, Luka has enough time to build something similar with the Lakers, but it will not happen overnight. Throughout the playoffs and into the offseason, the team will work hard with Doncic and his camp to create the perfect conditions for his success. Besides shoring up the frontcourt, that also means making him feel comfortable and empowering him to lead the franchise into its next era of greatness.
