While he's probably not the most unbiased source, here's what Grant Williams said the other night:
“It’s great to get a win for the city and play for the jersey that’s across your chest, not on your back,” Williams told reporters as transcribed by MassLive’s Brian Robb. “Everybody touched the ball, we trusted one another, a team that never played, practiced together, every single person seemed like they had each other’s back.”
To be fair, Grant said something similar in his introductory presser in Dallas.
Reporter: "You've been with other organizations, how would you describe the difference in the vibe, what you've seen so far, in the last couple days?"
Grant: "The best part about this organization is everyone is authentically themselves. It's a very calm, relaxing, and chill organization while also being disciplined. And understanding that the priority is winning, but also you can have a good time while doing it. And, everyone here really supports one another, and that's something really key in my eyes. You can come in and basically it feels like a family. You feel like each one of us is embraced to be authentically ourselves, and it feels organic. Everyone feels very valued, and they make sure not only just the top guys get valued but through players top to bottom. It's very special to be a part of."
I don't doubt that Luka is hard to play with, but he's also very young still. It's not written in stone that he'll end up more like James Harden than LeBron James (not counting the defense part, he just has certain physical limitations he won't ever be able to totally overcome).
Also, quite frankly he's played on a lot less talented teams than other superstars. Porzingis isn't the same player now as he was in Dallas. Brunson is now a better player than he was in Dallas as well. If you put Luka on the Celtics right now and Tatum on the Mavericks, is any Celtics fan seriously going to argue that there would be a huge difference in record just because Tatum is a two-way player and Luka isn't?
I just think that sometimes we don't have to put down other stars just to prop up our own. Besides, the Mavericks are 32-23 in a tougher conference this year and with Kyrie missing a ton of games, a rookie center in Lively II, and Grant being out of shape. He's playing with guys like Josh Green, Hardaway Jr., Dante Exum, and Derrick Jones Jr. These are absolute scrub lineups.