The Los Angeles Lakers have been cautious with Luka Doncic at the start of training camp and the preseason. This isn’t due to a specific injury, but more because of the Herculean effort he needed during EuroBasket for Slovenia. L.A. wants to avoid unnecessary mileage on his body ahead of his first full season with the purple and gold.
This has led to increased opportunities for players like Jarred Vanderbilt, who had his first fully healthy offseason as a Laker and has shown promise to be a real threat for the franchise this season. But he, like everyone that has been playing for L.A. this preseason, wants to see the team’s superstar on the court.
Vanderbilt is finally getting the chance to play next to Doncic this fall, with the Slovenian star making his preseason debut on Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns. And the defensive-minded forward spoke about how Luka has looked and what he’s liked about playing next to him so far in games and practice, via Khobi Price of the Southern California News Group:
“He’s moving great, everything I seen from him. He’s being vocal. He’s leading the charge. He’s being everything we need him to be right now. So, we happy to have him out there right now during this week and him getting some good practices and running with us and just starting to build that momentum toward the regular season.”
The Lakers certainly need Doncic to take on more of a vocal leadership role with LeBron James out of the mix as he recovers from a sciatica on his right side. The former Dallas Mavericks superstar is now not only the team’s best player and No. 1 option on the court, he is the de-facto leader for the time being and is slated to be so in full once James is no longer on the team.
Seeing that he’s doing that already — with Vanderbilt vouching for it — shows that the Lakers are likely on the right path towards being a competitive team this season. As they’ll need every bit of Luka at his best to help L.A. navigate this season.
Luka Doncic emphasizes next man up mentality
Luka Doncic came into this season as the No. 1 option for the Lakers, but there was an expectation that LeBron James would be his co-star. Unfortunately, James is expected to miss time with a sciatica on his right side and now it elevates Doncic’s responsibilities even more to begin the year.
As a 26-year-old, Doncic is no stranger to leading a team in production, but it is completely different doing so in a Lakers jersey. But, with new additions in Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia and Marcus Smart, the Lakers players should help make the Slovenian star’s life a little bit easier.
It stings to lose a four-time champion before the regular season starts, and Doncic discussed what the Lakers can do to make up for LeBron’s absence.
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