Luka Doncic wearing purple and gold in the playoffs? Yeah, it still feels surreal. But come Saturday, it’s happening—Game 1 at Crypto.com Arena, and he’s front and center as the Lakers kick off their series against the Timberwolves. Feels like yesterday he was carving teams up in Dallas, right? Then February hit, and boom—Doncic was headed to Los Angeles in a trade that flipped the league on its head.

Since landing in LA, he’s wasted zero time settling in, helping the Lakers grab the No. 3 seed and home-court advantage to start the postseason. But lucky for Doncic, he has a familiar face to help him. His former Dallas Mavericks teammate, JJ Redick. Only now, Redick’s not sharing the backcourt with him—he’s calling the shots from the sidelines.

During a sit-down with Chris “Geeter” McGee ahead of the Lakers’ first-round showdown with the Timberwolves, Dončić opened up about the transition. And it turns out, Redick’s evolution from player to coach caught even Luka off guard.

“Uh, way easier, you know, I know him as a player,” Doncic said when asked how Redick’s presence impacted his adjustment in L.A. “He’s totally different as a coach, uh, but he’s a great guy, you know? He knows basketball, he lives basketball, and just by knowing him from before, you know, it was easier for me.”

That familiarity helped them hit the ground running. “Like I said, I knew him, you know. And then he was broadcasting. So, I saw him a lot and it was easy for me,” Doncic added.

But even Luka didn’t see Redick taking on the head coach role this early—let alone doing this well. “Yeah, very impressed. You know, I didn’t think—I know when I played with him, you know, he could be like maybe assistant coach or something. I never expected him to be a head coach. But seeing what he has done, he’s been unbelievable.”

Of course, the playful banter between the two hasn’t disappeared. When asked if he’d had a shooting competition with Redick since reuniting in L.A., Luka grinned. “No, no, he don’t want that,” he said with a laugh. “He don’t want that.”

Doncic has quickly become the centerpiece of the Lakers’ postseason hopes. His chemistry with Redick and his dominant on-court performances have led to growing chatter about a bigger storyline: is Luka the next face of the NBA?

Just ask Chris Broussard, who recently made a bold prediction about Luka’s postseason run and his league-wide image.

“Well, he can. This will be like, I think the seventh straight International MVP. If there’s just more coming, Luka is going to win one at some point,” Broussard said. “This trade just made him even more popular, and it made him somewhat sympathetic because the Mavericks just ripped him on the way out. And now you see him go to the glamor franchise of the league, and if he wins it, he will have proved Dallas wrong.”

He didn’t stop there. “But also, I think people feel like, man, this dude got a raw deal. If they win the championship, and he’s the MVP. He is the Lakers best player with all due respect to LeBron. And yeah, if they win the championship, he could—he will become the face of the league.”

Given Luka Doncic’s resume, it’s not a reach. Five-time All-Star. Led the Mavs to two Western Conference Finals and a trip to the Finals. EuroLeague MVP before even stepping foot on an NBA court. And now? The engine of a Lakers squad with real title aspirations.

If Luka really does go nuclear this postseason, there’s a real shot we’ll be talking about a changing of the guard—not just in LA, but across the entire league. That shift? It’s already underway. And it’s not just about Luka’s dominance—it’s also about how the Lakers plan to use it.

JJ Redick is using Luka Doncic’s experience to prepare against the Wolves

Head coach JJ Redick knows he’s got a secret weapon for the playoffs—Luka Doncic. And with a familiar opponent like the Timberwolves ahead, you can bet he’s going to lean heavily on Luka’s past success.

The Slovenian has been here before, facing the Wolves in last year’s Western Conference Finals when he absolutely tore them apart. This time, though, he’s sporting a Lakers jersey instead of Mavs blue.

Not to forget Luka Doncic’s iconic dagger step-back three-pointer over Rudy Gobert in Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Western Conference Finals between the Mavs and the Wolves. It was the kind of moment that silences arenas, stuns defenders, and cements legacies. Coming back from an 18-point deficit, game on the line, with the reigning DPOY draped all over him—and Luka still delivered the dagger-like it was scripted.

And let’s be honest: that shot wasn’t just about Game 2. It was a statement. A message that Luka wasn’t just some flashy regular-season stat machine. He’d evolved—clutch gene activated, battle-tested, and fearless even in the biggest moments. If there was any lingering doubt before, it evaporated right there in front of Gobert’s outstretched arm and a shellshocked Wolves bench. Luka Magic is very real.

And just like that, Luka put up 32.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game, finishing with a massive 36-point performance in Game 5. Redick’s tapping into all of that, knowing how valuable Luka’s insight will be.

“There are nuances to what teams are trying to do against certain opponents,” Redick said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

The Wolves have swapped Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle, who brings more muscle inside. They also added Donte DiVincenzo off the bench, so it won’t be a repeat of last year. But with assistant coach Greg St. Jean also bringing his own experience against Minnesota, LA has multiple perspectives to draw from.

Since Luka Doncic arrived, the Lakers have been firing on all cylinders, climbing to the No. 3 seed. He’s on a team that’s built for playoff success. Now, it’s time to prove it. The postseason starts next week, and it begins with a familiar opponent. Let’s see how it unfolds.