Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic is adjusting to his new team after being suddenly traded by the Dallas Mavericks. This felt like an impulsive decision made by Dallas despite health concerns regarding Doncic.
However, there is no denying that the five-time All-NBA guard is a top-five talent, regardless of any risks with conditioning or injuries. Notably, Doncic took the Mavericks to the NBA Finals less than a year ago.
When this deal broke, many questioned the reasoning behind general manager Nico Harrison opting to trade the franchise star. With that came harmful narratives regarding Doncic from his former team, leading to one of his Mavericks teammates Quentin Grimes to come to his defense in a recent interview with Jared Weiss of The Athletic:
Grimes took issue with the way Dončić has been portrayed on his way out the door from Dallas. Grimes dismissed the team’s concerns about Dončić’s conditioning and work habits, saying his former teammate was always in the gym whenever he would show up for his late-night shooting sessions or practice-day weightlifting.
“It’s just a narrative around him. Once a narrative gets thrown out there, everybody just runs with it,” Grimes said. “Whatever they’re saying, if he’s 270 (pounds) and he gets to the finals, let him be 270 then. It’s crazy.”
Grimes was traded by Dallas on the Feb. 8 trade deadline to the Philadelphia 76ers for Caleb Martin. To add insult to injury, the 24-year-old is playing great for the 76ers, recently putting up a career-high 44 points against the Golden State Warriors on March 1.
Ultimately, the Mavericks’ season is over with Kyrie Irving recently tearing his ACL and Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford remaining sidelined. Things turned sour for Doncic and Dallas, which will serve as motivation for the star to win a championship in L.A.
It is great to see a former teammate in Grimes have Doncic’s back through these harmful stories being told about the Slovenian guard. Now, everyone involved needs to move on and try to thrive in their new situations and circumstances.
Luka Doncic credits Lakers’ chemistry after comeback win against Knicks
For the Lakers to win eight straight games while trying to integrate Luka Doncic is a highly impressive feat. However, Thursday night featured adversity against the New York Knicks as L.A. trailed double digits for a majority of the game.
Thankfully, the purple and gold mounted a fourth-quarter comeback to keep their winning streak alive and Doncic credited the team’s chemistry in picking up that win.
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