Luka Doncic proves Mavericks' real reason for trading him was completely overblown

After a long wait, Luka Doncic finally faced off against the Dallas Mavericks in one of the most anticipated regular season matchups of the season. Doncic wasn't only traded in shocking fashion by his former team but he was also disrespected on his way out after Dallas ownership made comments about the former Maverick's effect on culture and work ethic.

Since returning from a lengthy calf injury that sidelined him since Christmas, Doncic has returned with vengeance. In his second game without a minutes restriction, Doncic dropped 32 points and 10 rebounds en route to an impressive victory over the Denver Nuggets.

Doncic hadn't only had his best performance since joining the Lakers, but it came at the perfect time as it was just days before he played his former team. With plenty of motivation to disrespect the Mavs, Doncic made Dallas' front office swallow a huge pill throughout his first game playing his former team.

Doncic proves his weight and conditioning was never a serious problem

One of Nico Harrison's supposed reasons for trading the superstar was over weight and conditioning concerns throughout his career. There's no doubt Doncic is naturally bigger at 6-foot-7, but to create problems such as conditioning for the Slovenian has always been frowned upon.

In his first game playing his former team, Doncic made sure to let the bench know how he felt after draining a deep three to extend the Lakers' lead. This wasn't just expected, but it showed that he's back, and his killer mentality will never leave him.

Throughout the Slovenian's career, many national media critics have been quick to assess Doncic and his apparent condition struggles. While these concerns were mostly brushed away by an amazing Doncic performance, his weight and lack of conditioning were brought back up in the spotlight after Dallas' loss in the NBA Finals.

Taking this into consideration, this was likely one of the reasons Harrison and other front office members felt it was necessary to change the trajectory of the Mavs franchise. Despite this, Doncic gave the Mavericks a front-row seat to what he can do in purple and gold.

Doncic not only had the crowd's jaws dropped after multiple amazing dishes that resulted in made buckets, but also had his former team questioning what they had done at the trade deadline.

Doncic finished the night with a 19-point triple-double, and while his shot wasn't there at moments, his playmaking ability made up for the missed shots he took. Doncic ironically recorded his first triple-double as a Laker against his former team and reminded many of his haters why you should never trade a superstar of Doncic's caliber.

As Doncic continues to get comfortable in LA, his play on the floor will only continue to get better. Throughout the game, Doncic never looked tired and his play on the floor reminded many Mavericks fans of what Doncic can do when his shot isn't on target.