The NBA trade deadline is several days behind us, but that hasn’t halted the hype circulating Los Angeles, where Luka Dončić finally made his Lakers debut on Monday night against the Utah Jazz. The trade for Dončić in exchange for Anthony Davis is still the most talked about NBA topic on morning sports shows, and rightly so. Especially considering the turmoil surrounding Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison and the growing backlash pointed at him. Davis went down in his debut and is out for a significant period of time, so there is also that. In LA, though, things started on a positive note.
JJ Redick Hails Luka Dončić’s Lakers Debut ‘Agenda Free’
Luka Dončić’s LA Lakers Debut Included Nerves and “Laker Basketball”
As Lakers head coach JJ Redick put it, Luka played good basketball, Lakers basketball, and the first-year bench boss couldn’t have been more impressed. Of course, Redick did offer a subtle quip regarding Dončić’s lowly three-point shooting, but that’s neither here nor there. All in all, Dončić’s debut went smoothly, and on top of it, LeBron James and Austin Reaves appeared no different than before Luka arrived. Questions surrounding how Luka and LeBron would fit have surfaced, as has where Reaves will fit into the scenario. Thankfully, there were no signs of trouble after one game, and yes, it’s only one game. As for Luka, Redick praised his new superstar and shared his impressions on the Lakers 32nd win of the season. [7:37 mark]
“I think he handled it well,” Redick said. “Knowing Luka, whether he will admit this or not, like there was probably a little bit of nerves. Playing for the Lakers for the first time and the anticipation that our fans have, this building had, his teammates had, our coaching staff had. He kind of gets that. He sees that.
“I thought he’s handled it really well and he played really well tonight,” Redick added. “He could not make a three outside of the first one but again it goes back to all our guys, they just played agenda-free basketball…he didn’t make it about Luka. He made it about playing good basketball and playing Laker basketball.”
A Rusty Return, but Worth the Wait
Ironically, Luka’s debut came against the Jazz, the team that Lakers GM Rob Pelinka made dealings with at the deadline. Pelinka opted out of telling Danny Ainge that the Mavericks and Dončić were also involved. As for the game itself, Luka didn’t go off by any means, nor was he expected to after missing over a month of basketball. In 24 minutes, Dončić went for 14 points, five rebounds, and four assists. He and LeBron had a couple of solid connections, as did Luka and Jaxson Hayes for lobs. However, the Lakers still need to address their center problem, which has also taken another turn following the aftermath of the Mark Williams fallout.
Luka did look slow, and some rustiness was evident. However, after a few games under him, there shouldn’t be any doubt that the future league MVP will return to full form—much like what we saw from him in the playoffs last year. What matters is that Luka’s Lakers debut avoided injury—the same cannot be said for the AD and the Mavericks.
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