If there were any doubts about Luka Doncic fitting in with the Los Angeles Lakers, they are fading fast.
Doncic is now locked into a new three-year deal with the team. On top of that, he looks completely in shape and focused. When Doncic is at his best, there is not a team in the league that will fail to take Los Angeles seriously.
In-shape Luka and this Lakers roster should terrify the league
We have already seen what he can do. He led the Dallas Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals on an MVP-caliber run, putting up 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 9.8 assists that season.
Even last year, while managing a calf issue, he still helped push the Lakers to a third-place finish in the West, averaging nearly 28-8-8. That version of Luka was not even at full power. This year? He just might be there.
On The Ringer NBA Show, Rob Mahoney captured the stakes: “Without this version (the healthy version) of Luka there is no chance.”
There is also an argument that this Lakers squad is built better than that Mavs team.
LeBron James, even at 40 years old, offers more leadership, shot creation, and championship pedigree than Kyrie Irving did during Dallas’s NBA Finals run. The difference is stark.
Irving was inconsistent when it mattered most. In those NBA Finals, he averaged just 19.8 points and struggled with his efficiency.
Now in Los Angeles, Doncic’s co-star is someone who knows how to close. LeBron may not be in his physical prime, but he is a smarter, more reliable engine than Irving, especially in the postseason. This duo's on-court IQ is elite. And the Lakers did not stop there.
Doncic played a direct part to help recruit Marcus Smart, a former Defensive Player of the Year. Once he was bought out by the Washington Wizards, he was brought in to bring a level of intensity to the squad.
He will raise the floor on both ends. The team also added DeAndre Ayton and bolstered its second unit with shooting and size. This roster gives Doncicmore than just "help." It gives him options and a real shot at redemption.
Justin Verrier made a great point about the 2022 Western Conference Finals: “Luka played with Jalen Brunson, Reggie Bullock, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Dwight Powell … He was able to will that team. He could do that with the Lakers, especially because they have so much creation and offensive juice.”
He basically willed that team alone; this time, he does not have to will anything alone. If he stays at this level, the path to the NBA Finals might just run through Los Angeles again.