Luka Luka Doncic spoke to a Los Angeles Lakers reporter after his new team’s win over the Golden State Warriors. When talking about the prospect of playing with LeBron James, he didn’t hesitate to say that he hopes to learn a lot from him. He added that he’s been watching James from afar as an opponent, but there is a different level of admiration now that he is on the same team as him.
“It’s been amazing to watch him. Obviously, I’ve watched him before, but on the same bench, it’s a little bit easier to watch than as an opponent. We talk. For me, I can learn so many things about him, like how he approaches the game. He’s been playing at the highest level for 20+ years. I’m just going to learn a lot of stuff… I think we have a great team. I saw the first game… We are prepared for sure.”
Luka Doncic completed an incomprehensible trade to the Los Angeles Lakers this past weekend. The trade was so surprising that even Doncic didn’t believe it. But the Mavericks decided to blow up their project with Doncic as they didn’t believe that he could lead them to win an NBA championship.
But his stint with the Mavericks is now a thing of the past. And given the smear tactics that GM Nico Harrison has employed over the last few weeks, Luka Doncic has decided to take all the rumors that have been spread about him as motivation to get better and prove them wrong.
The Los Angeles Lakers were expected to consider offers for LeBron James. Instead, they are planning to keep James and want him to be Luka’s mentor for the next few years so that he can be the face of their franchise for the next decade.
Lakers Need To Earn Luka Doncic’s Trust
While Rob Pelinka did a brilliant job in landing Luka Doncic, there is no guarantee that he and the Los Angeles Lakers will be able to keep him long-term. Doncic is a free agent in 2026. The Lakers cannot sign him to a $345 million supermax contract like the Mavericks could have.
As such, if they want to keep him, or get him to re-sign, they need to show him that they can compete at the highest level with him on the team. So far, they have done a good job, as they are undefeated since trading for him. But that is not nearly enough. They need to make a deep playoff run to show Luka how serious they are about building around him.
Trading for Mark Williams is a good start, as he is a floor-raising center that the Lakers desperately needed if they wanted to compete for an NBA championship. Luka has been known to elevate the bigs he plays with, and he can do the same for Williams, who is already showing signs of great potential.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support.
