What Luka Doncic’s summer can mean for the Lakers
After a historical summer on the court and radical changes outside it, Doncic sent a message to the NBA. And his new team responded in the same way.
The intermittent fasting It was suspended for a few hours.
While the dishes were served in Katowice, Poland – a salad for the governor of Los Angeles Lakers, Jeanie Buss; Fish for the president of basketball operations and general manager of the Lakers, Rob Pelinka; And a fillet with vegetables and salad for the man for whom more than 9,600 kilometers traveled to see – the Lakers representatives made clear for a long lunch at the end of August that if something was important for Luka Doncicit was also for them.
The 26 -year -old superstar was preparing to test her physique, perfected after months of intense training and food discipline (including a daily fast of 16 hours), with her national team, which competed for Slovenia in the Eurobasket A month before the training camp next season of the NBA.
And the Lakers intended that support for their participation in the Eurobasket resonated, high and clear. “Luka feels enormous pride and appreciation for their roots and for playing for his country,” Pelinka told AM850. “I think, in the alliances we have with our players, the Lakers want to be aware of their passions and who are like people, and then support them. So, with Luka, it was a very simple alliance decision that we wanted to support.”
Beyond the opportunity to generate trust between the player, who signed a contract extension by three years and 165 million dollars on August 2and the team’s directive, the Eurobasket was an opportunity for the organization to establish the best practices to align with its new star, an opportunity that the team did not have after the impressive February transfer with the Dallas Mavericks.
There was a group talk before and after each match that included Pelinka and the Dr. Leroy SimsDirector of Performance and Health of the Lakers players, to Lara Beth Seager, Brand Director and Commercial Manager of Doncic, already Javy Barrio, His physiotherapist.
The general tone of the Lakers messages to the Doncic team? “Hey, we are here to help in whatever,” said a source close to Doncic to AM850.
Dr. Sims traveled to Poland, like Kurt and Linda Rambis, Lakers’ partners for a long time. The assistant coach of the Lakers, Greg St. Jean, joined the Technical Corps of Slovenia as an assistant and spent 40 days with the team during the tournament, with matches in Slovenia, Germany, Poland and Latvia. The Lakers even put their equipment manager available to Slovenia, according to the sources, when the Doncic team needed material.
Doncic’s desire to play for his country and his public dedication to radically transforming his physique demonstrated his new level of responsibility for his career, after a transfer that escaped his hands.
The Lakers knew that, to demonstrate their confidence and appreciation for Doncic, they needed to demonstrate a proportional investment. And they expect the return not only to arrive in the last days of the mandate of LeBron James, but extends much beyond the role they want Doncic occupying for the franchise.
While the Lakers They encouraged him, Doncic dominated the Eurobasket.
He was appointed for the ideal tournament quintet and averaged 34.7 points per game, the greatest amount of a player in a single Eurobasket since Nikos Galis He averaged 35.6 points with Greece in 1989.
Doncic registered More points (243) than minutes played (233) and raised its level in the qualifying rounds, averaging 40.5 points in two decisive games.
In the defeat of Slovenia for 99-91 in the quarterfinals against Germany, the dessert champion of the gold medal, the Doncic team led for 26 of the 40 minutes. Germany was only behind for 18 minutes in its six games of the tournament before facing Slovenia.
The coaching staff of the Lakers, according to the team sources, was impressed with the performance of Doncic compared to its game in the second half of last season, when it was affected by a persistent distension in the calf. His improvement was noticed in Donc’s speed to overcome two players. He noticed in his takeoff.
He even noticed in defense, a stain in his curriculum, already worthy of the Hall of Fame.
At one point in the tournament, Fuentes reported to AM850, St. Jean showed a video of Donc’s defensive effort to Slovenia coach, Aleksander Sekulić. St. Jean believed that Doncic, beyond his offensive brilliance, was also the best defensive player of the team. The edition showed, possession after possession, the correct placement of Doncic, communication with his companions and his general commitment.
Pelinka also saw it and recorded it as an advance in Doncic leadership capacity.
“From a leadership perspective, support that players play basketball in the preseason,” said Pelinka. “I think it could be said that part of the preseason and, in a way, the current basketball perspective, especially in the United States, focuses on individual work. And I think that type of team environment can be lost.”
It was part of the cost-benefit analysis that Pelinka considered to support Doncic’s participation in the Eurobasket. Yes, more basketball and additional activity could put a player at risk of injury, a fear that came true when a partner fell his leg against Latvia on August 16 and Doncic suffered a contusion in the right knee.
Even so, Pelinka said he would make the same decision.
“Everything has risks,” he said. “There are risks in the over -individualized training and to wear out the muscles or joints in that way. Luka is incredibly reflective on how he addresses his way to improve as a basketball player. And I think it shows that it is in its best way when it is in a competitive environment. That is precisely what motivates it.”
With the beginning From the training camp at the end of this month, Doncic and the Lakers see their summer at the Eurobasket as the perfect preparation for the season that is coming.
Doncic had led a full Slovenian team, as described by a source from the League to AM850, from players mostly lower than that of Division I of the NCAA, until the quarterfinals of one of the most competitive tournaments in the world. What could, in a full season, with LeBron James and Austin Reaves?
While Doncic and the Lakers took advantage of the summer to demonstrate their mutual commitment, the season will bring new challenges to meet their expectations.
Doncic has had difficulty maintaining healthy habits within the rigors of an 82 -game season, constant trips and stress management that defeats (or even the joy of victories). And for Pelinka and the Lakers, it is one thing to build an international itinerary; Another very different is to close an agreement to improve this template full of stars and find the necessary resources for an exchange. Even so, summer sat some solid bases before any stony terrain that both teams had to overcome.
The experience, according to Doncic A AM850, had already made him feel more connected to Los Angeles.
“The support of the organization of the Lakers and the Nation Laker was incredible,” he said. “It meant a lot for me that Rob, Jeanie, Kurt, Linda and Dr. Sims came to Poland and that the Lakers fans saw the Eurobasket and encourage Slovenia.”
And the Doncic game was a reminder for the Lakers that there is no time to wait for the LeBron era to build Luka’s era.
“Luka’s performance at the Eurobasket made it clear to the whole world of basketball that is on that incredibly short list of candidates for ‘best player on the planet’, if not at the top,” said Pelinka. “As for the construction of the team, we have talked about the importance of having options, and when I use that word, I do not mean the future. I think the option is also present. Having Luka, possibly the best player on the planet, already LeBron James, who is still emerging as one of the great players of our basketball, even at his age, allows us to reflect carefully about the value of that option.”
Los Angeles will open their preseason with 14 players in the squad, including Rui Hachimura (18.3 million dollars), Gabe Vincent (11.5 million dollars) and Maxi Kleber (11 million dollars) With contracts about to defeat. They could include one of their first round selections of 2031 or 2032 in a possible agreement. And with Doncic signed in the long term, the Lakers are open to an exchange for a player with a contract that extends beyond 2026, according to AM850.
“If there are smart ways to contribute to our championship aspirations for next year, we will make them come true,” said Pelinka. “And we consider having those two players in our team next year is an important moment, and we will continue doing everything possible so that this franchise gets its 18th championship.”
After this summer of equalized investment for that goal, there is undoubtedly an alignment.
“He insists every day that his goal is to win a championship,” said a source close to Doncic to AM850. “He is confident that the directive will do their part and trust what they are building.”
