Physically, Luka Dončić’s transformation this summer has taken plenty of headlines and drawn lots of attention. After everything transpired with his exit from Dallas, Luka used that as motivation to change his body…and then show everyone how much better it looked.
But that wasn’t the only thing Luka transformed this offseason. After inking a new deal this summer, Luka is now the unequivocal leader of the franchise moving forward. And he’s taking that mindset, too.
With Slovenia at EuroBasket, Luka took on a more vocal leadership role, something he’s not typically done. And despite being overseas with Luka briefly, Lakers President of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka took notice.
“I think the thing that probably stood out among many things for me is…just his overall leadership tone and how he not only led by example,” Pelinka said, “but he was very demonstrative in the practice in terms of his expectations of the team, how they played, their togetherness. I think just seeing that continued evolution and growth with him as not only a leader by example but a leader with his voice really stood out to me and I think it’s something that’s going to carry into camp this year.”
It’s one thing to be seen from the outside as the leader of the team, but for Luka to actually embrace that role is another thing. This is his team moving forward, as was Slovenia, and he’s both aware of what that means and is actively taking that role.
Presumably, the same is about to happen as he enters a new era with the Lakers. What might be interesting is how LeBron reacts to the role change. We saw this summer that it didn’t seem he liked the team prioritizing Luka and the future over him, but after being given an offseason to come to grips with his new reality, will his mindset change?
Whether or not LeBron’s mindset changes, though, is secondary. Luka is the new leader of this franchise and he’s actively embracing his new present.