Report: ‘A Beast Was Awakened’ Inside Luka Doncic After Mavericks-Lakers Trade

According to NBA reporter Dave McMenamin of ESPN, “a beast was awakened” inside Luka Doncic after the Dallas Mavericks traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Doncic has taken the high road when asked about the constant flow of leaks from the Mavericks organization disparaging his weight and conditioning, but behind the scenes, the NBA star is motivated. 

“But not totally. When Dončić returned to L.A. with a bit of a sunburn on his face, it wasn’t just from time spent on the beach. Lakers assistant coach Scott Brooks met him in Cabo and they worked out at a private, outdoor court for two hours a day, sources said. Dončić also supplemented the basketball drills by lifting weights in the gym at his hotel,” McMenamin wrote. “Though Dončić did not publicly comment on the constant flow of leaks from the Mavericks organization disparaging his weight and conditioning, one source close to Dončić told ESPN the comments have served as a motivator. ‘A beast was awakened inside him,’ the source said.”

Doncic had his best game with the Lakers against the Denver Nuggets. He finished with 32 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and four steals while shooting 10-of-22 from the field, 4-of-9 from beyond the arc and 8-of-8 from the free-throw line. 

The Lakers beat the Nuggets, snapping a nine-game losing streak to Nikola Jokic and Co. 

With Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves leading the way, the Lakers look like title contenders. They are in fourth place in the Western Conference standings and have one of the top offenses and defenses in the NBA over the past few weeks. 

“Just want him to be himself — when he gets back to himself,” LeBron told ESPN. “Obviously, he’s been out since Christmas and I think he told me or said it to us, that’s the most he’s ever been out since he started playing basketball — because of an injury. Obviously, it’s not going to happen overnight, but I believe that in order for us to ultimately be the team that we want to be with him here, he has to have the ball, he has to be able to put us all in position, he has to be him. The seven years that we’ve seen in the NBA with Luka, we want that Luka.”