What can Lakers fans expect from Luka Dončić this upcoming season? If Eurobasket is any indication, the answer is simple.
A lot.
Dončić notched a triple double — only the fourth player ever to do so in Eurobasket history — this week. If you’re wondering why they’re so rare in FIBA tournaments, here’s part of the explanation.
He currently leads the whole tourney in scoring (33.4 points), steals (3.2), efficiency, and is currently third in minutes played (33.4). And he led Slovenia to qualify for the Round
of 16, starting this weekend, despite the lack of depth around him and a lackluster start to the tournament.
Nothing new, really, in terms of Luka Dončić dominating.
He arrived ready to play at Eurobasket in Poland and didn’t waste a minute on the court. He has seemed focused on both ends of the floor throughout the group stage for Slovenia.
On top of the aforementioned triple-double, leading all scorers and the high usage – all things we are used to seeing from the Lakers superstar — Dončić showed something new during the weeks in Katowice, Poland.
Speed, an ability to keep pushing the ball through high usage and even back-to-back games and much more vocal leadership.
Let’s take a look at what might be the most evident thing first, his increased burst of speed. Dončić seems faster on drives, beating his defender more easily and the first step seems notably quicker.
Here’s a good example from the game against Iceland, where he beats his defender from the perimeter, speeds up (instead of slowing down for his signature deceleration, which I wrote more about here), then beats the help defender:
Secondly, Dončić has also seemed less gassed throughout the whole tournament. He has been pushing the pace in transition more often, it seems, continuously sprinting full-court despite playing heavy minutes. Even against Belgium, which was, by the way, the second game Slovenia played in less than 24 hours.
This transition dunk was in Slovenia’s win against Iceland.
Quite a show of force and conditioning.
Speed was, as well as playing heavy minutes, a noticeable change throughout this tournament. The conditioning aspect has been apparent, especially on defense, through this tournament, where Dončić has been locked in. Every single game has a defensive Dončić highlight now.
Contrast that with the last couple of years where he was often forced to focus his energy on offense and take a breather on defense. His defensive skills were never the issue.
A third noteworthy development in behavior and play for the Slovenian superstar is his more vocal leadership. He has shown this in glimpses the last couple of years, but now we’re seeing him talk to the bench on timeouts regularly and encourage his teammates much more vocally.
Here’s another example, which was translated for me and suggested to share, because there are some quite interesting things in this clip:
These situations and experiences are important in any player’s development, but especially for someone like Luka Dončić getting ready for the next stage of his career. As he is finding his place on the Los Angeles Lakers, it is key that he finds his voice and leadership style, as well.
While LeBron James is still around to mentor, lead and support Dončić and the team, he won’t be forever. There will be a time when Luka Dončić will be the main leader of the Los Angeles Lakers and when that day comes, he has to be prepared.
Leading his Slovenian teammates through ups and downs, by example and on the bench, is a great way to work his way into leading the most famous team in the world.
The expectations of the Lakers are enormous every year. If the expectations of Luka Dončić have been extraordinary from the start, leading the Lakers will be an even bigger task. That’s why international competitions are such a great developer of minds and a sharpener of skills.
It gives players an edge to compete against the best when the stakes are high. If anyone can use players with that ability, it’s the Los Angeles Lakers. And if anyone thrives in that, it’s Luka Dončić.
Despite a lack of depth, Slovenia has now qualified for the Round of 16. And they did that because Luka Dončić took matters into his own hands. It will be a better and sharper Luka Dončić who Lakers fans will experience in LA this fall and a lot of that has to do with this summer.
