It might be an understatement to describe the last few weeks of Luka Doncic’s life as a wave of emotions. 

Doncic was sent away by the Dallas Mavericks, a team he thought he would spend his entire career in, to the Los Angeles Lakers. It was a trade of large ramifications not just from a basketball standpoint, but the fact that the internet broke in the dead of the night spoke to the gravity of the situation, so it must have been magnified for Doncic, Anthony Davis, and the rest of the players affected. 

The All-Star break may have been a welcome respite for Doncic, as it allowed him to adjust to his new team and recover from his bothersome left calf. The Lakers welcomed him with open arms and have done their best in treating him better than the Mavs organization did accommodating the five-time All-NBA First Team selection. 

So when the Mavs visited Los Angeles for the first time since the trade, many thought that Doncic would perform like he had against his children the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Phoenix Suns. The rest of the Lakers sensed that early on and were making a more concerted effort in finding Doncic, who scored early and at times let Dallas know about it. 

Despite finishing with a triple-double, though, Doncic struggled with his own offense. However, his teammates had his back and put the finishing touches on a 107-99 victory that was among the most watched games of the year. 

Doncic’s shooting has yet to catch up to him in LA, as he has only converted on a quarter of his 3-point attempts as a Laker. However, opponents have disregarded his slumps as they do not want to be the unfortunate team to be on the wrong end of a big game from the five-time NBA All-Star. It’s safe to say that Doncic had the last laugh with the victory over his former team, but a bigger win can come if he looks at the bigger picture. 

Doncic’s vengeance can extend beyond this game, as him playing at a high level for the rest of the season would be a slap in the face to the Mavs organization and a gut-wrenching sight for Mavs fans who clearly did not want to see the Slovenian in another NBA uniform. Los Angeles has done what they can to make Doncic comfortable on and off the court and they will definitely be patient as he works his way back to pre-injury form. Besides, he’s already had one signature game against the Lakers’ adversary, the Denver Nuggets, and it will definitely not be his last.  

Meanwhile, Doncic has already made some efforts to endear himself to the city that was shocked but nonetheless happy to welcome him with open arms. Winning a championship later on would definitely put him up there with legends like Kobe Bryant, who he looked up to and would definitely want to have broken bread with once he touched down in Los Angeles. 

Nearly a month since the trade that shocked the world, there’s still an air of bitterness within Luka Doncic and it was evident in his play against his former team. Doncic will have another chance to show the Dallas Mavericks organization what they missed when he and the Lakers head to Dallas on April 10. Expect the Mavs fans to shower Doncic with cheers and jeers when he is hurting their team. For Doncic, though, it’ll all be business.