Luka Dončić took his teammates to his native Slovenia this offseason.
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Luka Dončić shuffled a deck of cards, a nervous grin spreading across his face as the conversation turned to him.
It’s a look anyone who has sat down with the Los Angeles Lakers’ star for an interview has seen, a smile that seems to suggest what you’re about to hear isn’t as valuable as what you’ve already seen.
This grin came at the end of a five-day minicamp for the Lakers in Dončić’s home country, Slovenia — a trip during which the Lakers ate, toured, practiced and competed together for the first time as this newly-constructed group. The interviewer, filming for Dončić’s new YouTube channel, asked Dončić what he valued now that he might not have five years ago.
Again, that grin.
“It’s leadership,” he said.
A nearly 30-minute video released Friday morning offers a glimpse of what that leadership might look like for the Lakers this season.
The Lakers re-signed Austin Reaves and traded most of their future draft capital for Walker Kessler, giving Dončić the backcourt mate and center he wanted. They added shooting with Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Sexton. And they’ll lean on Quentin Grimes, Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle for perimeter defense, with an eye on two-way impact around their stars.
There is unquestionably less top-end talent after James’ departure. The Lakers are betting on depth, fit and connectivity to help make a difference.
The lessons are simple: The only viable path to an NBA championship in this era is by allocating all resources around the best player.
And connectivity was precisely what Dončić was trying to build in Slovenia.
Even one of the more painful moments seemed to serve that purpose. During an on-court workout, Dončić accidentally elbowed Sexton, leaving Sexton with cuts to both his upper and bottom lips. Blood dripping from his mouth, Sexton tried to keep practicing.
Dončić loved the toughness.
The Lakers will open training camp next week, and Dončić hopes that the trip to Slovenia gave the group a head start. Dončić, who has been fully cleared for basketball activities since mid-June after injuring his hamstring in April, will enter training camp fully healthy.
“It was amazing to have this time together,” Dončić said. “With so many new guys, I wanted to make sure we were building chemistry, and I think people will see that when the season starts.
“A trip like this is something I don’t think I would have been comfortable doing a few years ago, but it felt important to do, and I’m glad it happened.”
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Dan Woike covers the Los Angeles Lakers for The Athletic. He’s written about professional basketball in Los Angeles since 2011, first for the Orange County Register and most recently for the Los Angeles Times. His work has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the Pro Basketball Writers Association, the Los Angeles Press Club and the California News Publishers Association. He’s originally from Chicago. You can follow Dan on X @DanWoikeSports.
