Luka Doncic is gearing up for his first full season in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform. The Lakers front office has been busy retooling the roster around Doncic all summer.
In return, Doncic has signed a three-year $165 million contract extension with the franchise. Furthermore, he looks to be in the best shape of his career so far. All signs are pointing toward a big year, both for Doncic individually and the Lakers roster as a whole.
It would appear that ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith agrees. On Friday, August 22, Smith listed Doncic among his “top five players to watch” in the upcoming season. Doncic sat second behind former Laker Anthony Davis, who is now with the Dallas Mavericks.
“He was in Dallas, got moved to LA,” Smith said. “They get bounced out in five games in the first round by Minnesota. But a bad year for this dude was averaging 28, 8, and 7. That’s Luka out of shape. Now we get to fantasize about what he’ll be in shape in Tinseltown, Hollywood, the bright light, big city, Southern California. Beautiful weather. This is what we’re talking about here. Luka, if he brings an elevated level of play to his game, and dare I say, shows that he’s willing to play some defense. Oh my Lord, have mercy! Who knows what’ll happen?”
Doncic will undoubtedly be the leading star for the Lakers next season. He will have all the tools he needs to help get the franchise back in the championship race. Therefore, Smith is probably right; Doncic is going to be box office in the upcoming season, and likely for the next 5-to 10 years.
Lakers Unlikely to Trade LeBron James
LeBron James will be on hand to help Doncic achieve his goal of contending for a championship in the upcoming season. The veteran superstar has been linked with a trade away from Los Angeles in recent months. However, Lakers insider Jovan Buha believes all of those rumors are coming from camps outside of Los Angeles.
“I would assume this (latest rumor) came out from the Warriors side,” Buha said. “…They’ve had a rough summer. They have not been able to make any moves because of this Kuminga situation. It’s been drama-filled, but also stagnant at the same time…But it also benefits the Warriors to make their front office, their organization, look like they’re trying to do something.”
Buha continued.
“So I don’t make much of it, to be completely honest. I think it’s status quo, and until LeBron asks out and specifically asks out to the Warriors or to a subset of teams, then I don’t make much of this,” Buha added.
Lakers Could Contend For A Championship
This summer, Rob Pelinka has added Marcus Smart, Deandre Ayton and Jake LaRavia to contracts. Suddenly, the Lakers have a rotation capable of covering some of Doncic’s biggest flaws and accentuating his countless strengths.
When you factor in LeBron’s impact, along with Austin Reaves‘ continued tenure on the roster, it’s hard to envision a down year for the Lakers.
If everyone can stay healthy, this could be a big year for the Purple and Gold and potentially act as a jumping-off point for the years to come.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Stephen A. Smith Pinpoints Lakers’ Luka Doncic for Latest List appeared first on Heavy Sports.