Does LeBron James Think the Anthony Davis Trade Made Luka Better or Worse?

When the Dallas Mavericks made the shocking choice to trade Luka Doncic midseason, everyone was curious how the young superstar would react. Not only did Dallas trade away their franchise superstar without warning, but then, to justify their decision, they publicly cited concerns over his conditioning and defense.

Knowing how competitive Luka is, everyone was curious to see just how he would come back this season after a full offseason to adapt and improve. Would the trade inspire Luka to become even greater, or would it get in his head and negatively affect his game?

LeBron James, Luka’s new teammate, noticed a change in Luka’s game after the trade. 

“Obviously, when you get traded midseason, and him spending his first seven or eight years here. Obviously, it was shocking to everybody. You know everybody who wasn’t involved in this whole sports world. Obviously, him and the guys that were involved in the trade, but I think the biggest thing this year is just more comfortable, you know. Understand the system, understanding the city, you know the city embracing him. Understand that this is his team and we’re all rallying around him. We all know it’s an emotional/big game when you come back and play your former team. He showed who he is tonight.”

LeBron had these comments after Luka helped lead the Lakers to a late-game victory over his old team. No matter how long Luka is away from Dallas, those games will always carry some extra significance. 

It seems like Luka has channeled some of the hurt and shock from his trade and has used it to focus on being great on his new team.