There seems to be some confusion about who exactly Luka Doncic is, and I have a theory on why. Trades tend to alter our perception of a player — whether consciously or not. I think we eventually convince ourselves that, no matter who the player is, they were traded for a reason. We know that wasn't the case with Luka Doncic. There was no reason for him to be dealt other than hubris from the Mavericks front office.
And yet... Luka being dealt mid-season, then not quite looking like himself immediately (although he finished the season on an outrageous tear) in his first short stint with the Lakers, was confirmation bias on a bias most of us weren't aware we possessed. Like, "yeah, it makes sense he's not playing up to his standards, why do you think he got traded?" Even though we consciously know that he was traded for no reason whatsoever.
That leads to lots of folks — both Lakers fans and Lakers haters — essentially tricking their brains into doubting Luka Doncic because of how much drama surrounded him last season. That probably isn't a good idea. Of course, we've all been fed the Skinny Luka propaganda this offseason, and that has swayed some folks back into (correctly) believing that his any potential fit problems alongside LeBron James don't really matter because Luka is such a singular force by himself.
Regardless of his physical shape (which has never really impacted his on-court production, for the record) Luka is going to very quickly remind any doubters exactly who he is later this month. He's not a good player, or even a great player. He's a rare offensive talent who could, feasibly, still get better. I am confident that at one point in his career, he will be the clear best player in the NBA. Maybe it happens in 2025-26. Either way, it's probably wise to get on the right side of history now and believe that Luka can and will rediscover his full powers now that he's more comfortable in LA.
Luka Doncic is bound for an MVP-caliber campaign in first full Lakers season
Four top-six MVP finishes before his 26th birthday, a scoring title, five All-NBA selections, and an NBA Finals appearance are already on Luka's resume at 26 years old. He was so good, so quickly, that anything less than pure greatness feels like a disappointment from him.
And pure greatness is probably on the menu from him this season. If you're thinking about doubting what he's capable of, I would highly advise against it.