There are few franchises in sports activities with the extent of expectation the Los Angeles Lakers carry each single season.
Profitable championships isn’t a objective in L.A., it’s the usual.
Now, 26-year-old Luka Doncic is getting into that highlight after arriving from Dallas, and Lakers legend Derek Fisher has some phrases of recommendation for the Slovenian celebrity.
“The duty is, it’s onerous to explain. My sneakers had been by no means the dimensions of Luka’s, when it comes to actually carrying the franchise into the subsequent iteration and technology,” Fisher advised ESPN LA. “I believe the most important factor is being a champion. Whereas Lakers followers and the group are at all times going to go for it each season, for Luka and guys that seem like they’re going to be right here for a number of years, you continue to need to have the willingness to play the lengthy sport. Proper? You’re trying to win now, however your habits need to final for a decade.”
Fisher’s phrases come from expertise. He received 5 championships with the Lakers and is aware of the grind it takes to not solely attain the mountaintop however keep there.
Sasha Vujacic, one other former Lakers champion and fellow Slovenian, echoed Fisher’s perception in Doncic’s match for L.A.
“A hundred percent. And I believe that — to not diss Dallas — however I believe Luka’s gentle and functionality had been approach too large for the Dallas highlight. I believe Luka is the right man that we want in L.A. to hold us to that subsequent championship,” Vujacic mentioned. “And I mentioned it a very long time in the past once I watched him play — there are glimpses I see from Kobe, like in his eyes. He performs with a smile, however he needs to kill you. There was a saying in our locker room — you odor blood, you go at them — and I believe Luka is a kind of few people within the league that has that demeanor, and has that mindset of attempting to go to the subsequent degree. I believe it’s going to be a enjoyable 12 months, and I’m actually blissful he’s with us.”
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