The Los Angeles Lakers have a lot of pressure to find a path to title contention with Luka Doncic as the face of the franchise. Unfortunately, the competitive landscape of the NBA today sees the Lakers considered a secondary or even a third-tier contender to most pundits around the league. Doncic has provided some optimism for the season after inviting his teammates to Slovenia for a bonding trip to build chemistry months before the opener.
The following quote from Luka during an interview showed his full commitment to the franchise:
“I’m a Laker. It feels amazing and now I desperately want what all Lakers want: to win it all. I won’t rest until we win more championships.”
Doncic saying that he won’t rest until the Lakers win more titles is the best thing that the fan base can hear about his future. Questions about the new roster see a lot of doubt over the team losing LeBron James as the leader for the past eight seasons.
The risks of Austin Reaves being the second star on a contender and Walker Kessler anchoring a defense created concern over the future. However, Luka going “all in” on leading this roster shows that he believes in the team and views the championship as a realistic goal.
Why This Matters For Luka Doncic’s Future
Some fears have emerged in Lakers fan circles about Doncic only extending his contract for a few years. Two bad seasons for the team failing to contend against teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs could see a superstar wanting out.
Luka has removed that fear from now since he’s only viewing the Lakers as his future and vowing to give his all to a title run. The Dallas Mavericks trading Doncic the season after he led them to the NBA Finals created a stronger hunger to experience that again but winning the series this time.
If Luka is this excited about the roster, this increases the fan expectations to at least have some outside title dreams. The Lakers having a couple of deep playoff runs could tempt Doncic to extend earlier. Rob Pelinka’s top goals should be finding roster improvements to help contention and finding a path towards locking up Luka long-term.
Realistic Goals For Luka Doncic This Season
Doncic must have an MVP caliber season for the Lakers to have the season that he desires. A top four seed is likely needed, with teams like the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves competing with them for similar seeds.
Reaves is the only player that Luka can fully trust to help lead the team to offensive success. New additions Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes must step up to be consistent scorers for this roster to work.
Doncic is hoping that Kessler can lead the defense to make up for Luka and Reaves’ defensive flaws. The Lakers sacrificed draft picks to acquire Kessler from the Utah Jazz, and it appears that Doncic fully believes in him. Lakers fans should go into this season with full hope behind Luka as a top five player in the league.
Luka Doncic Makes NBA Championship Vow To Lakers Fans