Luka Doncic has been a member of the Los Angeles Lakers for just over two months now. It’s nothing compared to the seven years he spent with the Dallas Mavericks, building a relationship with teammates and the fanbase. And given the nature of the blockbuster trade, it would have been understandable if Doncic needed some time to warm up to L.A. and the Lakers franchise.
Instead, the Slovenian superstar has been an instant impact on the court while also immediately becoming a part of the L.A. community. It took less than a few weeks for Doncic to get back to his career averages and seemed to be having fun with his new teammates through it all.
That is, in part, because of the way that Lakers fans have welcomed Luka into the mix. He instantly became one of the most popular players in franchise history, and was the first player in a decade to topple LeBron James or Stephen Curry at the top of the jersey sales leaderboard.
Doncic spoke about the way fans welcomed him recently and if he sensed that when he first arrived in an interview with Chris McGee of Spectrum SportsNet:
“Yeah, definitely. It was a little bit surprising though. I was a little bit surprised. It’s a new guy in the city and the way they showed me love since day one, it’s been unbelievable for me. I feel the love, for sure.”
And he admitted that the fan reaction helped him when he was first making the adjustment:
“Yeah, it made it a lot easier.”
On the court, Doncic is feeling that same sort of instant connection. He discussed the team chemistry ahead of the start of the playoffs on Saturday.
“I think we have a great team,” Doncic said after practice on Thursday. “We have guys who are willing to go to war. Everybody is staying together, the chemistry is high. So I think we, for sure, have a chance.”
The Lakers are entering the postseason with real odds to contend for a championship. And much of that is because of the way Doncic has immediately returned to his usual self despite a shocking cross-country move and coming back from an injury.
Luka Doncic excited for playoff basketball
Luka Doncic spoke about his first postseason with the Lakers after taking Dallas to the Finals last season, and why he’s excited for playoff basketball.
“I don’t know, I like big games. Playoffs is a fun time. Everybody plays 100%. It’s just fun to be out there.”
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