Luka Doncic has been anything but perfect since arriving in Los Angeles after being acquired by the Lakers, but fans have mostly stuck by the Slovenian superstar through his struggles.

Following his shocking trade from the Mavericks to the Lakers, Doncic, who had missed more than a month of action due to a calf injury, made his return to the floor earlier this month. He has gotten off to a relatively slow start in purple and gold, though, as he is averaging 19.3 points and is shooting 36.5% from the field and 22.4% on 3-pointers as a Laker.

Still, Laker Nation is behind him and the team, which has won its last four games, including Tuesday's highly anticipated matchup with the Mavericks.

“It’s amazing,” Dončić said. “I think the atmosphere has been amazing. Even when I’m playing bad — I don’t think I’ve had a good game here yet — but every time I check in, they cheer for me. So this is an unbelievable feeling to be here.”

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The passion of Lakers fans has hardly ever been in doubt, but skepticism lingered through the fanbase and national media for most of this season that the Lakers would be able to compete for a championship in the near future. The Doncic trade has flipped that narrative on its head, though, and particularly after the past week or so, there is a growing belief that Doncic and LeBron James could lead the Lakers back to the promised land.

On paper, it's easy to see why there would be confidence in the Lakers; Doncic and James, when healthy, are two of the very best players in the NBA. Austin Reaves has also proven to be a reliable scorer and playmaker, which can take pressure off of Doncic and James, who have worn themselves out in the past trying to initiate their offense constantly. Rui Hachimura has also proven to be a solid role player this season; he is averaging 13.5 points and 5.3 rebounds a game while shooting over 50% on field goals and 41.3% from beyond the arc.

Regardless, the Lakers will have to overcome some tough teams in the Western Conference in order to return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2020. The Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, and Denver Nuggets are currently the top three teams in the West, and since the addition of Jimmy Butler, the seventh-place Golden State Warriors have appeared formidable.