There is no franchise like the Los Angeles Lakers as the expectations they have each year are to win championships. Coming from Dallas, Luka Doncic is a championship-caliber player, but he has yet to get a full season in L.A. to fully ingratiate him.
So while Doncic has not seen what it is like to deal with these intense expectations, he is built for a stage of this caliber. Coming off an NBA Finals appearance in 2024, the Slovenian star wants to get over the hump and win his first ring with the Lakers.
Still just 26-years-old, he will have plenty of opportunities to reach the mountaintop in the NBA. Someone who experienced plenty of winning in L.A. was Derek Fisher, who won five rings during his stint. He offered advice to Doncic as he begins a new chapter leading a new team, via ESPN LA:
“The responsibility is, it’s hard to describe. My shoes were never the size of Luka’s, in terms of really carrying the franchise into the next iteration and generation. I think the biggest thing is being a champion. While Lakers fans and the organization are always going to go for it every season, for Luka and guys that look like they’re going to be here for multiple years, you still have to have the willingness to play the long game. Right? You’re looking to win now, but your habits have to last for a decade.”
Fisher mentions a great point about habits because Doncic’s regarding his body may not have been the best early in his career. However, a switch appears to have flipped regarding the mentality of getting into better shape to contend in June.
This offseason, Doncic completely transformed his body to get into the best shape of his life. He is coming into the 2025-26 season extremely motivated to prove the doubters wrong. As Fisher said, those habits that got him where he is now have to be sustained over a long period of time in order to achieve that.
Sasha Vujacic believes Luka Doncic is perfect superstar for Lakers
A trend that has passed the test of time is the Lakers finding star power to lead theirn franchise. Luka Doncic is the latest player to land in L.A. and fellow Slovenian and former Lakers champion Sasha Vujacic believes Doncic is the perfect superstar for L.A.
“100%. And I think that — not to diss Dallas — but I think Luka’s light and capability were way too big for the Dallas spotlight. I think Luka is the perfect guy that we need in L.A. to carry us to that next championship. And I said it a long time ago when I watched him play — there are glimpses I see from Kobe, like in his eyes. He plays with a smile, but he wants to kill you. There was a saying in our locker room — you smell blood, you go at them — and I think Luka is one of those few individuals in the league that has that demeanor, and has that mindset of trying to go to the next level. I think it’s going to be a fun year, and I’m really happy he’s with us.”
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