The state of the Los Angeles Lakers took a dramatic turn last March. While the experiment with LeBron James and Anthony Davis had given them a championship immediately, the duo had led them past the first round just once since then.
As a result, change was necessary, but it felt hard to achieve. That was until the offer for Luka Dončić materialized out of thin air. Now in his second season with the franchise, it looks like the Slovenian superstar has embraced the city and team. But for Lakers minority owner Jeanie Buss, it hasn’t been a love-at-first-sight type of story.
Luka Dončić Initially Didn’t Feel Connected to the Lakers Like the Mavericks
First drafted to the Dallas Mavericks in 2018, Dončić spent seven years with the team, making them a perennial contender in the West and a playoff team by his second year. As a result, the love between the player and the city was hard to replicate.
A trip to the Conference Finals and another to the Finals certainly helped him connect with any remaining members of the fan base. During that stretch, he also became one of the most impressive players in the NBA through a statistical lens.
A scoring champion and five-time All-NBA selection, he was unquestionably one of the best players in the league. Since coming to the Lakers, he’s tried to replicate some of that success with this franchise as well.
After bowing out in the first round of the postseason last year, he upped his numbers this season. As a result, he has another All-Star appearance and scoring title on his resume, after averaging 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists.
Another All-NBA should follow soon once the teams are officially revealed. But as he recovers from a hamstring strain, the franchise’s governor doesn’t believe he has embraced the team quite as rigorously as he did with Dallas.
Speaking to tennis legend Maria Sharapova, she explained, “In my experience, welcoming players to the Lakers organization, I often hear, ‘this is my dream. I always wanted to be here. To play where Magic, Kobe, Shaq, and Kareem.’ Luka didn’t come into the Lakers like that. He was trying to figure out why this was happening.”
She went on to explain the reasoning as well, adding, “You could see he left his heart in Dallas, and it was going to take him time. It’s kind of like if your boyfriend breaks up with you, it’s ok to go out and get a new dress and try to make him regret he ever did that.”
While he’s already become a massive fan favorite in Los Angeles, it stands to reason that Dončić will take some time to get used to a new city after spending nearly a decade in Dallas. But, his numbers are already starting to speak for themselves with the Lakers, and sustained success should help in the adjustment process.
