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Editor\u2019s Note: Read more NBA coverage from The Athletic\u00a0here<\/a>. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA or its teams.\u00a0<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n NEW YORK \u2014 The Los Angeles Lakers and Luka Don\u010di\u0107 played at Madison Square Garden Sunday night, a big game against the New York Knicks in a big-time setting one year after the Lakers and Don\u010di\u0107 linked up in a shocking midnight trade.<\/p>\n Over that year, Don\u010di\u0107 has shaken off the shell shock. He\u2019s gotten healthy, working past a calf problem. He committed to his diet and conditioning. He signed an extension to lock in his future with the Lakers. And the Lakers have rewarded him by making him the unquestioned face of the franchise and their top priority.<\/p>\n For most everyone, it\u2019s normal enough now to see the no-look passes and stepback 3s get launched by a purple and gold No. 77 jersey. (His ex-teammate in Dallas, Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, is one of the exceptions: \u201cDefinitely weird. I think we all expected him to be in Dallas. \u2026 But now he\u2019s a Laker.\u201d)<\/p>\n Don\u010di\u0107 scored 30 points and grabbed 15 rebounds Sunday in the Lakers\u2019 112-100 loss. It was a game they could\u2019ve won had they shot the ball better from 3 (12-of-42).<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re in a good spot,\u201d Don\u010di\u0107 said. \u201cObviously, got some work to do. But I think today we obviously missed a lot of good looks, but I think we have a great group.\u201d<\/p>\n While seeing Don\u010di\u0107 in a Lakers uniform has become normal, his new organization hopes that some of the roster\u2019s shortcomings around him are just temporary.<\/p>\n \u201cI think whether you\u2019re a GM, a coach, a player, you\u2019re never gonna look at a roster and say, \u2018This is a perfect roster, and all the pieces fit perfectly together,\u2019\u201d coach JJ Redick said Sunday. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t really happen a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n That looked liked it had happened in Dallas, weirdly enough, before the Mavericks decided their heartbeat needed to be replaced. Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s Mavericks had shooting, size and athleticism. The closest the Lakers come to replicating what Don\u010di\u0107 left behind is an elite secondary playmaker. All the best Don\u010di\u0107 teams have had one \u2014 first Brunson, then Kyrie Irving and now Austin Reaves.<\/p>\n Raiding the Mavericks for all the parts in Dallas still linked to Don\u010di\u0107 probably won\u2019t happen. Both team and league sources have expressed immense skepticism that the Lakers and Mavericks will engage in a deal that would make Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s new team better after all of the bad publicity last year\u2019s trade received.<\/p>\n The Lakers (29-19) aren\u2019t going to find all that they need before Thursday\u2019s trade deadline \u2014 or in the subsequent buyout market. They\u2019re pressed against the first luxury tax apron, having only the ability to trade a single first-round pick and a single second-round pick. Their players beyond the very top of the roster haven\u2019t generated much interest.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t mean nothing will happen. It just means something obvious doesn\u2019t seem imminent.<\/p>\n \u201cJust when it\u2019s quiet,\u201d one Lakers veteran said of the pending deadline, \u201cis when you really need to start looking over your shoulder.\u201d<\/p>\n The good news is that the big part of the Lakers\u2019 plan \u2014 the new star \u2014 has seemingly fully moved on and is committed to what\u2019s in the locker room even if it doesn\u2019t fit his preferences perfectly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not really changing that much,\u201d Don\u010di\u0107 said. \u201cJust a little bit, but no problem with that.\u201d<\/p>\n One year after the Lakers traded for Don\u010di\u0107, they\u2019re 10 games over .500 despite a limited number of games with Reaves, Don\u010di\u0107 and LeBron James all healthy.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had some really good moments. We have some not-so-good moments. We want to continue to try to build off of that,\u201d James said after Sunday\u2019s loss. \u201cI like this group. But we got to continue to get better.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been tough all season as far as dealing with injuries. Guys in and guys out. Unfortunately, our All-Star two-guard (Reaves) has been out for a minute, and that\u2019s a big piece of our team. So it\u2019s kind of hard to see what we can really, truly be.\u201d<\/p>\n Reaves\u2019 eventual return should be a boost. He\u2019s been out since Dec. 25 with a Grade 2 calf strain, though he\u2019s been listed as \u201cquestionable\u201d the last two games.<\/p>\n \u201cI just would say he\u2019s day to day, game to game, however you want to phrase it,\u201d Redick said. \u201cWe\u2019ll hopefully have him for Tuesday, but he\u2019s gotta feel 100 percent confident.\u201d<\/p>\n Between the injuries and the roster, things are far from perfect for the Lakers 12 months after trading for Don\u010di\u0107. Still, walking out of Madison Square Garden on Sunday night, the Lakers had their path, their star, their player to build around.<\/p>\n They just have to start truly building. In the meantime, the Lakers\u2019 leaders are expressing confidence.<\/p>\n \u2014 The Athletic\u2019s James Edwards contributed to this story.<\/p>\n ***<\/p>\n Dan Woike<\/a>\u00a0covers the Los Angeles Lakers for The Athletic. He\u2019s written about professional basketball in Los Angeles since 2011, first for the Orange County Register and most recently for the Los Angeles Times. His work has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the Pro Basketball Writers Association, the Los Angeles Press Club and the California News Publishers Association. He\u2019s originally from Chicago.\u00a0Follow Dan on Twitter\u00a0@DanWoikeSports<\/a><\/p>\n