The year that Luka Doncic has had for the Los Angeles Lakers in his first full season with the franchise has simply been unbelievable. Prior to suffering the unfortunate Grade 2 left hamstring strain, Doncic had put up numbers very few in the history of the league have been capable of while pushing himself into the MVP conversation and the Lakers into contender status.
LeBron James has seen just about everything there is to see throughout his career and when talking about the level his Lakers teammate has been at this season, he feels its a matter of Doncic getting comfortable with his new team which has allowed him to just play freely.
“I could be here for hours talking about what I’m seeing,” James said on the latest episode of his Mind the Game podcast with Steve Nash. “I just think his level of comfortability now in the organization has allowed him to play free basketball… I’m comfortable being a Laker. I’m comfortable in my home. I’m comfortable with the guys. I’m comfortable being myself, like opening up. He just seems so free and that does wonders to the game itself when you not only feel free, but feel accepted as well.
“You gotta think, seven, eight years in an organization and you like I plan on being here my whole career, I wanna be here my whole career and then boom, one night it’s over with. It took an adjustment and I just see like a sense of free, like I’m just back to being ‘Luka Magic’ like ‘The Don’ out here just playing a game, in the flow. And every night you look up at the scoreboard and it’s 35-8-7, 40-10-8, 45-11-7. And it’s not like, f— he took 40 shots or 45 shots, it’s like all flow. And to be out there and witnessing it and seeing it. I’ve played with some great players obviously throughout my career and he’s right up there with them. It’s crazy.”
Doncic has made no secret of how difficult it was for him finding out he was traded. But the Lakers organization did everything they could to make him feel accepted and now it is paying off. Doncic is beloved by his Lakers teammates and most notably has developed a very close relationship with his backcourt partner Austin Reaves.
This season served as one in which Doncic reminded everyone that he is truly one of the best basketball players in the world. And when your performance has someone like James impressed at that level, it says everything.
Luka Doncic motivated to return to Lakers for playoffs
Doncic’s outstanding year has been curtailed by this left hamstring strain that could will keep him out for the rest of the regular season and possibly the playoffs as well. But head coach JJ Redick says he is still in good spirits and is motivated to return for this team at some point in the postseason.
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