The Los Angeles Lakers are preparing for what they anticipate to be an emotional game in Luka Dončić’s first matchup against his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, on Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
And they want to make it clear they have Dončić’s back as he continues to grapple with the fallout of the trade and his new normal.
“I think he’s going to be excited,” said Dorian Finney-Smith, who played with Dončić for almost five years in Dallas before reuniting with him in Los Angeles. “But everybody in the locker room is excited. We got his back.”
Lakers coach JJ Redick, who has said multiple times over the past three weeks that he can relate to the emotions of being traded, though not in the same context of Dončić, expects his superstar to handle the moment well.
“I think he’ll be fine,” Redick said. “Every day that he’s been with us it’s becoming a little more normal. I’ve been there. The first time you play your old team, particularly this close in time duration, it’s going to be weird. But he’ll be OK.”
Dončić finally resembled his Dallas self on Saturday in Denver, erupting for 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals. He picked up a technical foul for complaining about a non-call, and had several interactions with the Denver crowd and Nuggets bench that signified to himself and his teammates and coaching staff that he was back.
“I knew it was just gonna come,” Finney-Smith said. “Knowing Luka, I shoot with him all the time, so I knew nothing (was) wrong with his shot. He hasn’t played for a while, so he ain’t played since Christmas. And guys want him to come back and be 30, 10 and 10, but it takes time. He’s human, and I’m just happy he found his rhythm.”
Dončić’s transition has been eased by having Redick (his former teammate and friend), assistant coach Greg St. Jean (his former offensive coordinator in Dallas) and Dallas teammates Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris alongside him (and Christian Wood before he was waived).
“I think just having familiar faces around is great for him,” Redick said. “You never know though, because you’re talking about a guy who left home as a teenager to go to Madrid in a different country and learn how to speak Spanish on his own. Like, he’s a different dude. But I think for him, given the magnitude of the change of scenery, I think having us around to help support him, I think has been great.”
As the surging Lakers — who have won 14 of 18 games, the best record in the league over that span — continue to make their playoff push, there is also the additional incentive of potentially beating a Western Conference playoff threat in a game that could impact the standings and matchups.
“I’m excited, man,” Finney-Smith said. “I know (Dončić is) gonna be ready but I try not to put too much pressure on him because at the end of the day, we just want to get the win. We get the win, I know he’s gonna be happy.”
Dončić is averaging 19.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game in his four games as a Laker. He’s yet to play more than 33 minutes in a game as he recovers from his left calf strain that kept him out for nearly six weeks after Christmas.
