Lakers’ Jaden Hardy Shares What Stands Out About Playing With Luka Doncic

Hardy opens up about just how special it is to play with Doncic and what he's already done for him in his NBA career.

Dec 23, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) celebrates with Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy (1) during the first quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The Los Angeles Lakers went through a massive roster overhaul this summer, determined to put the right pieces around superstar guard Luka Doncic and usher in a new era while welcoming new ownership for a second straight year.

Although several players left the team in NBA free agency, including fellow superstar LeBron James, who signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, Doncic will still be playing with some familiar faces, along with Austin Reaves, Jarred Vanderbilt, Bronny James, Adou Thiero, Dalton Knecht, Jake LaRavia and Chris Manon.

Jaden Hardy Credits Luka Doncic for Helping His ‘Confidence’ 

During his time with the Dallas Mavericks, Doncic shared the floor with Quentin Grimes and Jaden Hardy, who will all reunite on the Lakers for the 2026-27 NBA season.

Hardy recently reflected on playing with Doncic in Dallas and expressed excitement about reuniting with the reigning scoring champion to play in front of what he calls the “best fans in the world” in Los Angeles, via the Lakers' YouTube channel.

“Me and Luka, and we got Grimes too on the other one. When we were in Dallas, I feel like we had a great group and I feel like just being back with them, playing in front of the best fans in the world is going to be super exciting and I can’t wait to do it,” Hardy said.

Perhaps Hardy’s most telling comments were about how Doncic helped “instill confidence” in the young players he played with in Dallas and how much he helped him in that area as a rookie with the Mavs.

“Whenever I was playing alongside Luka, he used to always instill confidence into the young players, tell them to keep going and I feel like that helped me a lot when I was a rookie. And playing alongside him then in my second year where we went to the finals, had a finals run, he was big for me during that time and during that stretch. And he was someone that I could lean on and talk to.”

With LeBron moving on to Philadelphia, Doncic will be the Lakers’ undisputed leader for the foreseeable future, with head coach JJ Redick and company expected to lean on the perennial All-Star heading into the 2026-27 campaign.

Luka Doncic Praised for Leadership Following Lakers Minicamp

Basketball - NBA - Los Angeles Lakers visit to Ljubljana - Ljubljana, Slovenia - August 23, 2026 Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic poses for a photo with teammates on the court where he played growing up in Ljubljana REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic | REUTERS

Doncic has already shown his willingness to step up and embrace the leadership role with the Lakers, funding a trip to his home country of Slovenia so the new-look Lakers could get in some bonding time and begin building some much-needed chemistry.

The talented scorer has been getting high praise left and right from his new teammates for the trip overseas, which seems to have been a major success and perhaps exactly what this team needs, as it looks significantly different from last season.

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