Jason Kidd Reveals Honest Opinion About Luka Doncic

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jaron Spor | Last updated Feb 26, 2025 5:00 PM ET

When news broke on February 2 that the Dallas Mavericks were trading their star guard, Luka Doncic, to the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team deal, the first matchup between them immediately became highly anticipated.

That game finally took place on Tuesday night, when the Lakers defeated the Mavericks 107-99. Doncic had a challenging shooting night but contributed significantly in other areas, finishing with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists despite shooting 6-of-17 from the field and 1-of-7 from three-point range. With this performance, he joined LeBron James and Russell Westbrook as the only players in NBA history to record a triple-double against all 30 teams.

Jason Kidd, Doncic's former head coach, shared his thoughts about the young star before the game.

"Understand that he's going to be one of the best players in the world, and the Lakers are fortunate to have him," Kidd said.

Kidd was Doncic's coach for the past four seasons. During their time together, they reached two conference championship games and made one appearance in the NBA Finals.

As for Doncic, his performance during his five-game stint with the Lakers has been mixed. He has averaged 19 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists while shooting 38.1% from the field and 25% from three-point range. The Lakers have a record of three wins and two losses during this period.

The Lakers are scheduled to play the Mavericks one more time this year, as Doncic will make his return to Dallas on April 9 at 7:30 p.m. ET, which will be on ESPN.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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