When the Los Angeles Lakers shockingly traded for Luka Doncic, it was a seismic change for L.A. as they flipped their roster upside down.
Thankfully, he was not moved by himself, as Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris were also traded to the Lakers with him. In addition to former teammate Dorian Finney-Smith, who was already on the Lakers, those players helped ease the star into this new situation.
As his new teammates begin to see how dynamic of a player Doncic is, this is no surprise to Finney-Smith. After spending five and a half seasons together in Dallas, the veteran forward detailed when he noticed Doncic was a completely different person on the court.
“Man, probably the first time we played one-on-one,” Finney-Smith recently said. “I think right after Summer League, he didn’t play Summer League and as soon as we got to Dallas, me him and Coach (Jamahl) Moseley went to the gym and played full court one-on-one. At first, you could barely understand what he was saying until he got on the court and you could understand everything he said. He’s just a competitor and that’s what I love about him.”
That is what makes the Slovenian star a top-talent in the NBA. He is not afraid to show emotion or talk trash to players defending him. In his first few games with the Lakers, that was not on display, but Finney-Smith pointed out that those characteristics are shining through now as he gets more comfortable in his new environment.
“Y’all see what he’s doing. He’s finally finding his rhythm. We were both laughing about it, we ain’t shooting the ball as well as we want, but it’s getting going. Y’all see him barking a little bit to the crowd and to the other team, that’s why I like playing with him. It gets me going.”
Each day is a process for Doncic as he presumably is still not over the Mavericks trading him without warning. But, he is getting a chance to re-join a former teammate in Finney-Smith and an all-time great in LeBron James.
As L.A. battles for home-court advantage in the postseason, having the 26-year-old get back into a rhythm offensively will work wonders for the team’s success.
Luka Doncic believes Lakers are ‘connected’ on defense right now
Despite Luka Doncic not having the reputation of a defender, the Lakers’ team defense has improved since the trade. The newest Lakers star believes they are ‘connected’ on defense right now, resulting in this surprising jump on that end of the floor.
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