The Luka Doncic to the Lakers trade has been one of the most exciting events in a long time in the modern-day NBA. However, until Luka makes his debut in purple and gold, there are going to be speculations about his place in the team. Not too many people are more qualified than Kevin Garnett to assess how a quality player like Luka will cement his position on the Lakers.
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During his conversation with Paul Pierce on KG Certified, the NBA legend talked about the high hopes he has for Luka. KG believes that there’s no limit to what Luka can achieve in a market as big as LA.
Garnett said that even if Luka does a third of what he has been doing in Dallas, it’s going to make waves across the NBA. He talked about Luka’s career-high 73-point performance from January last year. If the Slovenian does something similar in Lakers uniform, that’ll catapult him into another level of stardom.
He even compared the 25-year-old to the greatest Laker of all time, the late, great Kobe Bryant. KG said, “Let me just say this, he’s more Kobe Bryant than LeBron James…Meaning that he’s going to take the last shot.”
Garnett believes that Luka is more of a scorer than a facilitator and he possesses the same clutch genes as Kobe. He also has the mindset to always go for the last shot regardless of the consequences. This fearless mindset makes him similar to Kobe, as per KG’s assessment.
Kevin Garnett on Luka:
"Hes more Kobe Bryant than Lebron James, meaning that hes going to take the last shot" pic.twitter.com/lMOXCv2kUR
— Thetruth (@Thetruth8240) February 6, 2025
The Lakers know how to promote and build a team around a player of the Slovenian’s caliber. KG is confident that as fans, we are about to witness the best version of Luka Doncic.
He said, “We’re about to get the best version of Luka and he’s about to be in a Lakers uniform doing it.” Luka’s talent will now get significantly more attention on an international stage.
Garnett believes the Nike connection helped bring Luka Doncic to LA
There have been a lot of discussions about Luka’s sudden trade to LA. Everything happened so quickly that there was not even a rumor floating around about the trade. People are now coming up with their own theories as to how the deal must’ve come together. As per KG, there’s an underlying Nike connection that people are not noticing.
He believes that the current GM of the Mavs, Nico Harrison has played a major role in it. Harrison was previously an executive at Nike and has had a close connection with the Lakers since his Nike days. Both the key players involved in the trade, Luka and Anthony Davis are under the Nike umbrella.
KG said, “Niko is a Kob [Kobe Bryant] guy, he might not even be a Nike guy, he’s a Kob guy…The Lakers know Niko, very well. So, I just start connecting all the dots.”
Harrison has worked closely with Rob Pelinka, who used to be Kobe’s agent. So, their pre-existing relationship helped the Lakers sign this unimaginable deal and bring one of the best athletes in the league to LA.
