Having brought up one year with the Los Angeles Lakers following his titanic trade from the Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic believes his current team are in "a good spot."

On the night of February 1 into February 2, 2025, the Lakers brought Doncic to Los Angeles in arguably the biggest trade in NBA history.

The Lakers sent Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round draft pick to Dallas in a blockbuster swap facilitated by the Utah Jazz, which has had huge ramifications for both franchises.

While Dallas fans protested Doncic's exit and the Mavs are already in rebuild mode, with a 19-30 record for the season, the Lakers are championship contenders again at 29-19. 

During his first full season with the Lakers, Doncic has averaged 33.6 points per game – his most in a single campaign in his career.

After a 112-100 loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday, in which Doncic had a game-high 30 points as well as 15 rebounds and eight assists, the Slovenian reflected on the last 12 months. 

"I think we're in a good spot," Doncic said. "Obviously, we've got some work to do. Today, we missed a lot of good looks, but I think we have a great group."

Doncic's team-mate LeBron James – who stretched his NBA record run for All-Star selections to 22 consecutive years on Sunday – echoed some of that optimism.

James added, though, that the Lakers had not yet shown their full potential due to injuries affecting key players, including himself and guard Austin Reaves.

"I like this group," James said. "We've had some really good moments. We have some not-so-good moments. We want to continue to try to build off that.

"It's been tough all season as far as dealing with injuries goes. Guys have been in and out.

"Unfortunately, our All-Star 2-guard has been out for a minute, and that's a big piece of our team. So, it's kind of hard to see what we can really, truly be."

Final pic.twitter.com/80R3Xc5kOx

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 2, 2026

Despite Sunday's defeat at Madison Square Garden, the Lakers are within four games of second place in the Western Conference, leaving coach JJ Redick in good spirits.

"We're right there in the playoff chase in the West. I think our guys have been great all season," Redick said. 

"They've really done a nice job of responding to the ups and downs that a season presents. 

"I think whether you're a GM, a coach, a player, you're never going to look at a roster and say, 'this is a perfect roster, and all the pieces fit perfectly together.' 

"That doesn't really happen a lot. The guys have done a great job over the last month of trying to play for each other and play good basketball together."