A full-page ad before opening night
Luka Doncic did not wait for the first tip to set the tone. A few hours before the Lakers host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, the new face of the franchise bought a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times and spoke straight to the fans.
“From the moment I arrived in LA, you welcomed me with open arms,” he wrote. The promise that followed was short: “No excuses. No nights off.” He called Lakers supporters “the best fans in the world,” said the team is going to need them, and asked them to “bring it with us” every game. The run for a championship, he added, begins Wednesday.
no renewal
Free for 2 weeks.
What last season left behind
The Lakers went 53-29 last year, the fourth-best record in the West. Doncic missed the final two weeks of the regular season and the entire playoffs with a hamstring injury, and Los Angeles went out in the second round. The franchise has made it past the first round only twice in the last six seasons, and its last title came in the 2020 pandemic season.
The roster around him looks different now. LeBron James left and signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, so this is Doncic’s team without question. Walker Kessler, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton and Ziaire Williams arrive to fill the gaps. Doncic himself is a six-time All-Star and a six-time All-NBA First Team selection.
The market is not convinced
Oddsmakers are keeping their distance. As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings listed the Lakers at +4000 to win the title, the 14th-best price in the league. An ad cannot move that number. Health and wins can, starting with a Warriors team that will not care how heartfelt the message was.
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