After sending shockwaves in the entire NBA world by signing Luka Doncic in exchange for Anthony Davis, the LA Lakers seemingly pulled off one of the trade moves of the century. Doncic missed the initial few matches of the Lakers, owing to a calf injury. He eventually made his debut for the Lakers on February 10 against the Utah Jazz. The Slovenian started his Lakers stint on a decent note, scoring 14 points, 4 rebounds and as many assists. He featured in the return match against Jazz as well, where the Lakers lost and could not showcase his magic against the Hornets too as the side lost again. The successive losses attracted criticism toward Luka. To make matters worse the lingering injury issue returned, and he missed out Thursday's contest against the Trail Blazers.
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JJ Reddick On Luka Doncic's Future
Following the culmination of the Lakers vs Trail Blazers game, which the Lakers won by a fair margin courtesy of LeBron James' 40-pointer, coach JJ Reddick has opened up about Doncic and expressed optimism about the opportunities he is about to throw towards the 25-year-old.
Doncic is expected to play back-to-back games from now on. “Speaking with him Tuesday night after practice, we sat down together. He’s all in,” Redick said. “He’s [over] the mental part of the shock and everything, he’s in a really good place. And now we’ve got to get him physically where he needs to be to be Luka.”
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Luka Doncic Yet to Announce His Arrival
Though he has arrived, Doncic is yet to mark his official arrival for the LA Lakers. However, considering the stature he carries, the performance the fans are patiently waiting for may emanate soon. Till the time he would have to acclimatize to the changed set-up and develop on-court chemistry with his new teammates, Reddick expresses.
“It’s all of us. It’s not just the staff. It’s the players too. It’s them and us working together to find the balance to allow our three best players to be at their best,” Redick said. “You’ve seen this happen a million times in the NBA. It doesn’t happen in three games. It might not happen in three months. That’s just the reality of how these things work. We’re all committed to making it work. I think we can all be a little more organized.”