When the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Luka Doncic, they were hoping to make a deep postseason run despite not having a roster that was formed to their new superstar.
Ultimately, their weaknesses got exposed in the postseason as they were defeated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the first round.
Doncic beat the Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals the previous year while with the Dallas Mavericks, but he acknowledged that Anthony Edwards and Co. were the better team this time around after the Lakers’ loss.
“I mean, obviously sadness,” Doncic said when asked how he was feeling coming out of the series. “I think I didn’t play the way I should. I think the team didn’t play the way we could. But I think congratulations to Minnesota, they played a hell of a series. They were the better team, obviously.”
Doncic took accountability for his poor play in the series and put it on himself and his teammates to improve this offseason to avoid it happening again
There’s obviously a lot of different things we can do, I can do,” he said. “Obviously everybody has got to get better. We’re gonna have a long summer and should focus on how we can improve as a team, as individuals.”
This is a big summer for Doncic and the Lakers as he took a lot of criticism from Dallas after the trade due to his work ethic. If Doncic truly wants to be an MVP-caliber player and NBA Champion then he must dedicate this offseason to getting his body right.
Meanwhile, the Lakers have a lot of work to do to build a roster around Doncic, although Rob Pelinka said he has faith that the trio of Luka, LeBron James and Austin Reaves can work. For Doncic to truly be at his best, he needs a center and other 3-and-D players around him, which will be a big focus for L.A. this summer.
Another aspect of this offseason will be what Luka Doncic decides about his long-term future. He becomes eligible for an extension in August and the Lakers will reportedly be willing to give him whatever contract structure he is looking for.
In the aftermath of a playoff loss though, Doncic said he had not yet thought about a potential extension.
I didn’t think about it yet. I’ve been focused on basketball, so obviously this is the time to think about everything,” Doncic said.
