Luka Dončić reflects on his first year with the Lakers: “It’s been very good and we have a lot of confidence”

Luka Dončić said on Sunday that his first 12 months as a player for the Los Angeles Lakers have been “very good,” within a team that has “a lot of confidence” and, in his view, is doing “pretty well” in the NBA.

“Obviously there’s work to be done, but we’re in a good place. This first year has been very good, we have a lot of confidence in ourselves and we’re doing pretty well,” said the Slovenian star in remarks to EFE after the 112–100 loss to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

“I haven’t had to change my style of play too much. Obviously there’s a small adjustment because it’s a different team with different players, but I talk a lot with the coach about playing without the ball and other things, which has been good for me. I’m not changing that much,” Dončić explained regarding his trade from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Asked about LeBron James being selected as a reserve for the NBA All-Star Game, which will be held on February 15 in Los Angeles, Dončić said his teammate “deserves it for continuing to play at the highest level at that age.”

Looking ahead to Tuesday’s game in Brooklyn, which will close the Lakers’ Eastern Conference road trip, the Slovenian said that if they want to return to California with a win, they will need to “play better.”

The former Real Madrid player led the Lakers in New York with a strong performance, but his 30 points, 15 defensive rebounds, and eight assists were not enough to prevent the loss to the Knicks.

Finally, Dončić pointed to the difference in shooting efficiency on open shots, especially in the third quarter, as the main reason for the defeat.

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