It’s been over 3 weeks since the NBA world was shocked to its core by a major trade. Through weeks of secret negotiations, Luka Doncic’s entire career trajectory derailed as he went from being the face of the Dallas Mavericks to the new offensive power for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers’ offense was weak in their last three matchups.

Going from someone who averaged 28.1 points with the Dallas Mavericks to only 14.7 with his new team indicates the Slovenian is still on a learning curve. However, as the player and LeBron James revealed, joining the new team was not the only reason behind the performance decline.

LeBron James was interviewed after the Lakers’ recent loss against the Charlotte Hornets. Luka Doncic continued his streak of scoring below his Mavs average, scoring only 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists in the recent matchup. The same wasn’t because of a lack of effort, though, since Luka made 5-18 (27.8%) field goals, 1-9 (11.1%) three-pointers, and 3-4 (75%) free throws. Even after this, LeBron defended his teammate.

“It’s his 3rd game since Christmas, and it’s his 3rd game with us. In the sense of just trying to, he still doesn’t know all the plays. He still doesn’t know all the defensive coverages, all the signals, and the things that we’ve built since September,” said the 40-year-old. It’s actually true. It’s never easy for a player who understood the Dallas blueprint to completely change his game style with a new blueprint or a yellowprint.

“So, you know, obviously, we were trying to fast track him on the fly. He’s coming back from his injury. He’s getting back into form. So, we’re all working through it together”.

It is important to remember that Luka Doncic is not just playing under a new team for the first time in his NBA career. He is also returning after a 47-day hiatus. Before his Lakers debut against the Utah Jazz on February 10th, the last game the Slovenian had played took place on Christmas Day. During the Mavericks-Timberwolves matchup, the player sustained a calf injury, ultimately resulting in the largest absence streak of the player’s career.

After Luka had missed 17 games by the end of January, a positive update came through reports the Slovenian had started jogging during practice sessions. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done, as the Mavericks had gone on a 6-11 run without their star player. This drastically affected their position on the points chart. A few days later, the player was traded to the Lakers for Anthony Davis. Therefore, both the burden of playing after a long gap and with a new squad lie on top of the player’s head.

Some people might use Luka Doncic’s performance decline as a form of protest from the player’s side. After all, it is no secret the player did not want to be traded. As Shams Charania reported in the trade’s immediate aftermath, “I’m sure Luka Doncic is still stunned about this trade”.

Chandler Parsons had even spread the rumor that Luka was purchasing a $15 million home in Dallas a week before the trade announcement. Luka’s business manager, Lara Beth Seager, later confirmed the same. She said her client was on the hunt since “he expected to spend his career in Dallas”.

However, if anyone held this belief, the player quickly provided assurances and you may want to check it out!

Luka Doncic addressed performance decline while highlighting his desire to play well for the Lakers

During the post-game presser, Luka Doncic was asked what he was “thinking now, heading forward”. After all, it’s been weeks since the trade, and the All-Star break also gave the player ample time to adjust. After joking about the “now, moving forward” remark, the Slovenian made it clear, “I’m here. I’m happy to be here. This is one of the greatest clubs in the world. Just happy to be here. Obviously, I’m gonna need some time to…. but I’m happy to represent the Lakers”.

That cleared any doubt about any animosity the player was thought to hold against the Lakers. As for his performance improvement, that was all Luka thought of during the break.

“Honestly, I was getting reminded of basketball a little bit,” said Luka when discussing the All-Star Break. “Being all just excited to come back and play. It’s been like…..I missed a lot of time. Never missed as much time. So, it’s something new to me. But I was just excited to get back to play”.

How long do you think it will take before Luka once again finds his footing? Let us know in the comments below.