The Los Angeles Lakers host the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night in a game that has been highly anticipated ever since the blockbuster deal at the beginning of February that sent shockwaves through the NBA. Luka Doncic was traded to L.A. in a deal no one saw coming, giving head coach JJ Redick and the franchise a renewed outlook on the future.
There were many parts of the deal that stunned the sports world. But perhaps one of the most eye-opening parts of the trade was the way in which the Mavericks franchise — and particularly, general manager Nico Harrison — spoke about Doncic on his way out the door. Dallas inferred that Luka’s weight and conditioning were issues and that he was never going to be a strong enough defender to lead the Mavericks to a championship.
To be traded is one thing. To be dealt unexpectedly after leading a team to the NBA Finals the previous year is another. But to be harshly criticized on the way out is almost unfathomable. On Tuesday night, Doncic gets the chance to face the Mavericks, albeit from the comfort of his new home in L.A.
Redick was asked about Luka’s adjustment to the Lakers and how he might fare seeing his old team.
“I think he’ll be fine,” Redick said. “Every day that he’s been with us, it’s becoming a little more normal. I’ve been there, first time playing your old team, particularly with it being this close in a time duration, it’s gonna be weird. But he’ll be able to handle it.”
One thing that Redick thinks has helped Doncic successfully make the transition to being a Laker so quickly is some of the familiar faces that were already here, the ones that came with him from Dallas and the superstar’s individual mentality.
“Yeah, I hope so. Markieff, Maxi, having familiar faces around is great for him,” Redick added. “You never know though because you’re talking about a guy that left home as a teenager to go to Madrid in a different country and learned how to speak Spanish on his own. He’s a different dude. But I think for him, given the magnitude of the change of scenery, I think having us around to help him and support him as been great.”
And with that, Doncic can focus on what he does best on the court. And that is being one of the game’s most complete offensive players with a skillset that can take over any game while elevating those around him. It’s that last part that Redick has particularly loved seeing.
“Part of what makes him brilliant is that he makes the game easy for everyone else. I didn’t get to experience that as much as I would’ve liked as his teammate, but he would be somebody that I would just love playing with.”
Tuesday night may have some emotions around it on both sides, with Doncic playing against the Mavericks and Anthony Davis in the building — but not playing — against the Lakers. But the Slovenian superstar is going to try and focus on what he does best.
Dorian Finney-Smith expects Luka Doncic to be excited
One of Luka Doncic’s former Mavericks teammates Dorian Finney-Smith has been hugely helpful in the transition over the last few weeks. He has also been playing some of his best basketball. But as he looked ahead to Tuesday night, he saw it as something Doncic would be excited to do, not nervous about.
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