Shams: Lakers Insiders Feel Luka Doncic is 'Very LeBron James-esque' as Teammate

Despite being the new man in Los Angeles, newly acquired Lakers star Luka Dončić is quickly earning the respect of his teammates, coaches and the front office, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

Some have even made comparisons to LeBron James in terms of how he is as a teammate.

“They’ve been impressed with how he’s been able to learn about his teammates on the fly,” Charania reported Saturday on NBA Countdown. “They feel like he’s really LeBron James-esque in the way he’s tried to get to know his teammates. He wants to make them better.”  

The 25-year-old guard was traded from the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 1 in exchange for Anthony Davis in a three-team trade. He has quickly become a key figure within the Lakers organization.  

In addition to his efforts to build chemistry, Dončić has taken conditioning and practice seriously since the move. That comes after reports that the Mavericks grew frustrated with what they perceived as a “lack of discipline,” according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.  

“He has been putting in daily work on the court and in the weight room,” Charania said. “Even to the point where he went to Cabo over All-Star break … he worked with Scott Brooks every single day while he was there.”  

The five-time All-Star had played just 22 games before the trade, with the Mavericks believing his struggles with injuries were largely due to conditioning. Reports indicated his weight had “ballooned to the high 260s” earlier in the season, according to McMenamin.  

Dončić appears to have made a significant turnaround in response to concerns about his conditioning, which reportedly played a major role in Dallas’ decision to trade him, per McMenamin.  

In three games with the Lakers, Dončić has averaged 14.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 26.7 minutes per game.