Luka Doncic as a Laker: What we've seen a year in and what's next

"Predictably, Doncic's debut performance was forgettable. Returning from an absence of longer than a month due to a calf strain, he missed six of seven 3-pointers in a victory over the lottery-bound Utah Jazz, finishing with 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting. It took four games, with the All-Star break in between, for Doncic to score 20 points as a Laker."

"In the wake of the injury-marred campaign, with the added motivation of responding to anonymous criticism of his conditioning and commitment from sources in the Dallas front office, Doncic transformed his physique last summer. So far, Doncic's improved conditioning hasn't translated into notably better performance than his Dallas peak, suggesting those conditioning woes might have been overstated. Doncic's 32.8 points per game this season are virtually identical to his last two full campaigns with the Mavericks, albeit in slightly fewer minutes."

Luka Doncic debuted for the Los Angeles Lakers one year after the trade from the Dallas Mavericks and played his first game nine days after the trade news. The Lakers' record of 32-20 is nearly identical to last year's 32-19 at the same point, leaving Western Conference balance largely unchanged. Doncic's debut was affected by a calf strain and he scored 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting. After regaining form, he averaged 28.2 points and 7.5 assists on 44% shooting in 28 games last season, his lowest shooting and playmaking since his rookie year. He transformed his physique last summer, but improved conditioning has not yet produced higher production than his Dallas peak; he is averaging 32.8 points per game this season with a 38% usage rate.

Read at ESPN.com