As the 2025-26 NBA season approaches, teams are beginning to report to training camp. The unofficial start to the Los Angeles Lakers’ season came on Thursday when general manager Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick held a press conference ahead of Media Day next week.
Naturally, one of the main topics of conversation was Luka Doncic, who is heading into his first full season with the Lakers.
Doncic is poised to have a big year after completely transforming his body this offseason and representing his country in EuroBasket. Luka was the best player in the tournament but when Pelinka visited him and his team in Poland, he came away impressed with something else.
“There’s a lot to talk about with Luka’s accomplishments with EuroBasket,” Pelinka said. “The thing that probably stood out among many things for me is just being able to go and spend some time at practices with his (Slovenian) national team and obviously going to the game as well. But his just his overall leadership tone. How he not only led by example, but he was very demonstrative in the practice in terms of his expectations of the team, how they played, their togetherness. Just seeing that continued evolution and growth with him as not only a leader by example but a leader with his voice really stood out to me, and I think it’s something that’s going to carry into camp this year.”
It’s been a crazy year for Doncic after unexpectedly getting traded. That would be a challenge for anyone, but Pelinka was impressed with how Luka dealt with it all and stayed true to himself.
“I think probably the word that stands out to me most is genuine. He’s just an incredibly genuine person,” Pelinka said. “And the fact that he embraced all of us right here when he first got traded, a sense of shock, just shows that there’s nothing fake about him. He’s just a genuine guy.
“I think that helps, that’s a great leadership quality, when people feel like they really know your heart and what you think, your beliefs. And so the more times we spent with Luka, the more genuine and impactful he is. So that was something that really developed with our touch points over the offseason.”
At the end of the day, the Lakers’ future rests on Doncic and he is eager to get back to the NBA Finals. Legacies are built by championships and the All-NBA guard appears enthusiastic about starting a new chapter as a Laker.
Ultimately, Pelinka needs to continue to evaluate and make potential moves to improve the roster heading into this season. Then, Doncic needs to hold up his end by leading and playing at an MVP level.
Rob Pelinka emphasizes ‘optionality’ in regard to potential roster moves
Under the new NBA CBA, teams have to figure out how to balance making win-now moves and keeping their books clean for the future. Rob Pelinka relied on buyout signings to bring in new additions this offseason and he expressed wanting to have optionality when it comes to determining potential moves down the road.
The Lakers still have a tradable first-round pick and a ton of expiring contracts, giving them flexibility to improve down the road before the February trade deadline.
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