The 2024-25 season was the turning point of Luka Doncic’s career as he was surprisingly traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers. The stunning move sent shockwaves throughout the NBA and the ripple effects will be felt for years to come as the Lakers can comfortably say they have a top-five player in Doncic leading the way.
Doncic understandably took time to acclimate to his new surroundings in Los Angeles, but eventually started to look more like himself. Luka helped lead the Lakers to the third seed, averaging 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists in 28 games.
However, he and the team were outmatched in the first round against the Minnesota Timberwolves and eliminated in five games. Despite the disappointing end to the season, Doncic still finished near the top of ESPN’s annual NBA Rank survey. Last year, Doncic finished at No. 2 and dropped just one spot:
3. Luka Doncic, G, Los Angeles Lakers
2024 NBA Rank: 2Doncic changed teams but barely budged from his position near the top of NBA Rank from last year, sliding from No. 2 to No. 3. The 26-year-old is coming off a successful summer during which he slimmed down, inked a three-year, $165 million contract extension with L.A. and led Slovenia all the way to the quarterfinals of EuroBasket while pouring in 34.7 points per game in the tournament. Last season was the first time since Doncic was a rookie that the 6-6 guard didn’t receive any votes for MVP, as a calf injury, plus the midseason trade, limited him to a career-low 50 games. NBA Rank voters are banking on Doncic to resume his Dallas trajectory now that he’s committed to the Lakers.
Despite everything Doncic had to endure, he still found ways to put up numbers and is poised for a career year. The superstar took the offseason to transform his body and he looked dominant in Slovenia’s run during EuroBasket 2025.
Doncic is being touted as an early MVP candidate and he should be motivated more than anyone to prove he belongs in the conversation for best player in the world.
Luka Doncic says new season feels like start of Lakers tenure
Luka Doncic looked shellshocked at his Lakers introductory press conference and it was completely understandable given the circumstances. There were times Doncic flashed his normal smile on the court, but it was clear he was still hurting from the trade.
However, Luka seemed much happier this summer after taking time to process the season and get his body right. Now, Doncic heads into his first full year with the Lakers and he feels like it’s truly the start of his tenure representing the purple and gold.
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