Doncic made his much-awaited debut in purple and gold on Monday night, and it was the perfect time to do so, as the Lakers played what amounted to a glorified scrimmage against the lottery-bound Utah Jazz. L.A. led by 25 at halftime and never had to sweat in the second half, which allowed Doncic to play just 24 minutes in his first game back since injuring his calf on Christmas.
Like any red carpet event, the stars turned out to Crypto.com Arena to welcome Doncic to the team, including Adele, Floyd Mayweather, Rams receiver Puka Nacua and Will Ferrell, who looked resplendent in a truly magical hat.
Doncic admitted to feeling nervous for the first time in forever, but he said, “Once I stepped on the court, it was fun. Just being out there again felt amazing.” He didn’t put up his customary numbers, going just 5-14 from the floor for 14 points with five rebounds and four assists, but he didn’t need to, either.
This was just the first of what fans hope will be many more games for Doncic in a Lakers uniform. Here are the three best things we saw in his debut.
Mavs general manager Nico Harrison is persona non grata in Dallas right now for criticizing Luka’s commitment to staying in shape. Inanely, he even cited Shaquille O’Neal as an all-time great player that was deeply committed to fitness, despite Shaq constantly being attacked during his career for getting by more on his talent than his work ethic. Whether Harrison believes these things or is just grasping for straws as he tries to convince Mavs fans that he made the right move in trading Doncic, badmouthing a guy that’s beloved by your fans is a shortsighted move that will have players questioning whether they want to sign with Dallas in the future to risk the same treatment.
