Luke Doncic, Los Angeles Lakers

Luka Doncic made his Los Angeles Lakers debut on Monday, Feb. 10. He played 23 minutes in the Purple and Gold’s demolition of the Utah Jazz.

Doncic ended the night with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists. He shot 5-of-14 from the field and just 1-of-7 from three-point range.

Doncic will undoubtedly have better nights. However, his presence on the court clearly had a positive impact on JJ Redick’s team.

Utah had no choice but to try and guard both Doncic and LeBron James straight up, as sending help could potentially have disastrous consequences.

When speaking to the media following his first game in a Lakers jersey, Doncic made a defiant statement when asked what he thought of the potential within the Lakers roster.

“Very dangerous,” Doncic said. “I think the ball was moving very well on the offensive and I think we can lock down a lot of players.”

It will take some time before we see the best out of Doncic. We will also need to wait to see how well the LeBron and Doncic pairing works out for the franchise.

Nevertheless, if this win over the Jazz was an audition, both Doncic and the Lakers passed it with flying colors.

Lakers’ LeBron James Had Message for Doncic

Before the game began, LeBron shared a message to Doncic during the pre-game huddle. The veteran superstar mixed no words as he told the Lakers’ latest talisman not to fit in but to fit out.

“Luka, be your f****ng self. Don’t fit in, fit the f*** out,” LeBron told Doncic.

LeBron has shared the court with elite talents before. However, he’s never been on the team with someone whose skill set is so close to his own.

Both Doncic and LeBron have elite basketball IQ’s. Therefore, the hope is that the new duo can quickly figure out how to get the best from each other.

If LeBron and Doncic get on the same page early, the Lakers will be a terrifying prospect to every defense in the NBA.

Lakers Encouraged to Build For The Future

According to former 3-time NBA champion Danny Green, the Lakers should build for the future rather than attempting to challenge for a championship this season.

Green’s comments were based on the recent news that Los Angeles’ had rescinded the trade for Mark Williams due to a failed medical exam.

“They can win some games, but they’re not in a win-now situation,” Green said via Fan Duel TV’s ‘Run It Back.’ “They had great moves for the future and win-now when they had Mark Williams. But, now it’s just Luka. You gotta build around him this summer because you can’t do it now…Mark Williams was a good piece.”

Doncic was acquired to be the Lakers star of the future. Nevertheless, if he can help LeBron add another championship to his resume, then everybody wins.

Rob Pelinka knew adding Doncic would alter the Lakers’ overall approach.

Nevertheless, Redick’s team should be capable of making a postseason push with the current talent on hand, even if they are short of talent and depth at the center position.