Luka Doncic is thrilled to be a Laker. The original shock of the trade seems to have worn off, and Doncic enters his first full season in L.A. as fit as he's ever been and ready to compete in a stacked Western Conference. But it sounds like Doncic isn't just looking ahead to this year; he's looking ahead to many, many more with this team. At media day, when asked how he feels about the stability in Los Angeles, Luka said:
"I think the stability is amazing... It was great to work with JJ. Hopefully we can work through the end of my career... I just love him as my coach... He will tell you if you did something wrong or if you did something good... The approach to the game with him is unbelievable, so I'm very excited that he's my coach."
Lots of words are said at media day. Some of it should be taken with a grain of salt. Or the whole shaker. But the sentence, "Hopefully we can work through the end of my career," is pretty straightforward. Hopefully indeed, Mr. Doncic.
Luka, at least right now, doesn't want to go anywhere. All the front office has to do is not trade Luka Doncic, which is silly for me to even say, because who would possibly... Oh, right.
Luka and JJ Redick don't seem to be going anywhere
The 2024-25 Lakers flamed out in the playoffs. It was a disappointment, no way around that. But if you zoom out, a first-year (and first-time) head coach won 50 games, and has a perennial MVP candidate on his roster for, if all goes well, the rest of his career. That's about as stable and sturdy a foundation as you can ask for. It feels hard to mess this up.
This isn't the first time Luka has talked about how much he enjoys playing under Redick's tutelage either, by the way. He called him a "Hell of a coach," last season. The relationship between coach and star appears to be excellent, as Redick has also raved about Doncic on numerous occasions — he's just like us, to be honest.
For the time being, the Lakers have a roster talented and deep enough to compete with most teams in the league, a superstar in his prime, and the greatest basketball player ever. Things are pretty good in Laker Land, and fans should live in the moment, be present, all of those cliches. That may be easier to do, knowing that Luka Doncic foresees himself retiring in a Lakers jersey. If that happens, it's hard to imagine that at least one championship isn't on the way, right? It's Luka freakin' Doncic!