Following LeBron James’ departure in free agency, Luka Dončić looks to step up with his leadership.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Luka Dončić has been a leader and a star ever since he was a teenager at Real Madrid, so his new role this fall as the clear focal point of the Los Angeles Lakers is nothing new.
Yet Dončić is still eager to take on the biggest responsibility of his basketball career to date in the wake of LeBron James’ decision to leave LA.
“It’s like a new challenge. I like challenges,” Dončić said Monday when the Lakers reported to training camp for media day. “I wouldn’t say I feel different, but I would say I feel honored.”
Dončić is fully recovered from the hamstring injury that kept him off the court while James led the Lakers to the second round of the playoffs. Dončić hasn’t played in an NBA game since April 2, and he took his recovery slowly during the summer to make sure he would have no restrictions when camp opened — because he knew the new-look Lakers have plenty of work to do in a short window.
“It feels great,” Dončić said. “Obviously it’s a new challenge. I was in this position in my career a lot of times, so it’s not new to me. But I feel great. I feel excited. I’m ready to go. It’s been a long time since I played basketball, so I’m ready.”
Dončić understands and embraces the international importance of being the face of the Lakers’ global brand, but he also knows this particular team must quickly forge an identity after the departure of the top scorer in NBA history, along with several rotation players.
Headlined by center Walker Kessler, the Lakers have nine new faces among the 16 players on NBA contracts in yet another year of massive turnover on their roster.
General manager Rob Pelinka wants that turnover to slow over the next few years, so he signed several complementary players in the age group of Dončić and high-scoring guard Austin Reaves in the hope they’ll all grow together for the long term. Along with Kessler, Los Angeles added Collin Sexton, Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Kevon Looney, Matisse Thybulle, Ziaire Williams and Jaden Hardy.
“I like everybody that we signed,” Dončić said. “I think there’s a lot of underrated guys. Got to spend some time with all of us off court, and now the training camp is going to help us a lot. Focus on basketball, get to know what we like on the court. I’m very excited to play with all of them.”
The biggest key is Kessler, whose rim protection and lob finishing appears to be exactly what Doncic has always wanted in a big man. Doncic acknowledges he was advocating strongly for Kessler’s acquisition.
“I’ve played a lot of games against Walk,” Dončić said of former Jazz center Kessler. “It was always tough to play against him. So I really wanted him. I think the organization wanted him. I wanted him. All of the players wanted him. I think it’s an amazing fit for us. (He’s) obviously a rim protector, but then the offense, he improved so much. He’s going to help us a lot.”
Dončić and James didn’t find a winning groove in their first half-season together, and Dončić had to begin last season without James, who was sidelined by sciatica for the first 14 games.
Dončić confidently seized the Lakers’ reins with an early-season scoring barrage that never let up even when James got healthy, allowing him to win his second NBA scoring title in three seasons at 33.5 points per game.
But Dončić only played in 64 games last season, and his close friend Reaves only appeared in 51. If the Lakers are going to grow into a contender, both guards know they need to be on the court regularly — and they must be connected with their teammates.
Dončić took his first major step as the Lakers’ primary leader during the summer when he organized a team trip to his native Slovenia. Every veteran made the journey, and Dončić took them golfing, bowling and rowing when they weren’t hooping, going out to dinner or just goofing around.
“We were moving like the president out there,” Jake LaRavia said of the excited crowds who followed the Lakers in Ljubljana and the surrounding environs.
Indeed, the Lakers all speak glowingly of their time in Slovenia, where the connections they forged have given them a head start on building the chemistry necessary to win in the NBA.
“I think we had an amazing time,” Dončić said. “We had two pickup games, but it was more to get to know the players outside the court. It was amazing, and I think we all had a good time.”
