Intermittent fasting took a back seat for a few hours. In Katowice, Poland, special dishes were served: a salad for Jeanie Buss, governor of the Los Angeles Lakers; fish for Rob Pelinka, president of basketball operations and general manager of the Lakers; and a steak with vegetables, in addition to a salad, for Luka Doncic, the star for whom they traveled more than 6,000 miles. The Lakers representatives made it clear during a long lunch in late August that if something was important to Luka Doncic, it was also important to them. The 26-year-old superstar was preparing to test his renewed body, perfected with months of intense training and dietary discipline (including a daily 16-hour fast), representing Slovenia in the EuroBasket, a month before the start of the preseason of the next NBA season.
Unconditional Support
The Lakers intended for their support of Doncic in the EuroBasket to resonate strongly. “Luka feels great pride and appreciation for his roots and for playing for his country,” Pelinka stated. “The Lakers want to be aware of their players’ passions and support them. In Luka’s case, it was an easy decision to support his participation.” Beyond the opportunity to build trust between the player and the management, the EuroBasket was an opportunity for the organization to establish best practices to align with its new star. There was a group chat before and after each game that included Pelinka, Dr. Leroy Sims, the Lakers’ director of player performance and health, Lara Beth Seager, Doncic’s brand manager and business manager, and Javy Barrio, Doncic’s physical therapist. The general attitude of the Lakers’ messages towards Doncic’s team was: “‘Hey, we’re here to help in any way we can'”. Dr. Sims traveled to Poland, as did Kurt and Linda Rambis, longtime Lakers collaborators. Lakers assistant coach Greg St. Jean joined the Slovenian staff as an assistant and spent 40 days with the team during the tournament. The Lakers even made their equipment manager available to Slovenia when Doncic’s team needed equipment.The Impact of Doncic
Doncic’s desire to play for his country and his public dedication to radically transforming his physique demonstrated his new level of commitment to his career. The Lakers knew that to demonstrate their confidence and appreciation for Doncic, they needed to show a corresponding investment. They expect the return to arrive not only in the last days of LeBron James, but to extend much further in the role they want Doncic to play for the franchise. Doncic dominated the EuroBasket, being included in the Ideal Quintet of the tournament and averaging 34.7 points per game, the highest amount since Nikos Galis averaged 35.6 points for Greece in 1989. Doncic scored more points (243) than minutes played (233) and elevated his game in the playoffs, averaging 40.5 points in two elimination games. The Lakers’ coaching staff was impressed with Doncic’s movement compared to his performance in the second half of last season, when he was hampered by a calf strain. His improvement was evident in his quickness to break double teams and in his jump. Even defensively, an aspect that had been a weakness in his already impressive resume, was noticed. St. Jean showed a video of Doncic’s defensive effort to Slovenia coach Aleksander Sekulić, convinced that, in addition to his offensive brilliance, he was the team’s best defender. Pelinka also saw it and registered it as an advance in Doncic’s leadership ability. “I support players who play basketball in the offseason from a leadership perspective,” Pelinka said. “I think that in a way, part of the offseason and the current perspective of basketball, especially in the United States, focuses on individual work. And I think that type of team environment can be lost.” This was part of the cost-benefit analysis that Pelinka considered when supporting Doncic’s participation in the EuroBasket. While more basketball and additional activity could put a player at risk of injury, Pelinka affirmed that he would make the same decision. “There are risks in everything,” he said. “Luka is incredibly thoughtful about how he approaches his way of improving as a basketball player. And I think it can be said that he is in the highest form of himself when he is in a competitive environment. That’s what encourages him.”Looking Towards the Future
With the start of the preseason this month, Doncic and the Lakers see their EuroBasket summer as a perfect preparation for the upcoming season. Doncic led a Slovenian team composed, according to a league source, of players mostly below the level of NCAA Division I, to the quarterfinals of one of the most competitive tournaments in the world. What could he achieve in a full season with LeBron James and Austin Reaves? While Doncic and the Lakers used the summer to demonstrate their mutual commitment, the season will bring new challenges to meet the expectations of both. Doncic has had difficulty maintaining healthy habits within the rigors of an 82-game season, constant travel, and managing the stress that comes from defeats (or even the joys of victories). For Pelinka and the Lakers, it’s one thing to put together an international itinerary; it’s quite another to put together a deal to improve this star-studded roster and find the trade assets to do so. Even so, summer provided a stable base before any rocky terrain that both sides may have to navigate. The experience, according to Doncic, already made him feel more connected to L.A.Doncic’s performance reminded the Lakers that there is no time to waste to build the Luka era. “Luka’s game in the EuroBasket made it clear to everyone in the basketball world that he is on that incredibly short list of candidates for ‘best player on the planet’, if not at the top,” Pelinka said. “In terms of team building, we have talked about the importance of having optionality and when I use that word, it’s not to say in the future. I think optionality is also in the now. Having both Luka and possibly the best player on the planet and LeBron James, who is still in the mix of being one of the great players of our game, even at his age, continues to allow us to think carefully about the value of that optionality.” L.A. will begin the preseason with 14 players on the roster, including Rui Hachimura ($18.3 million), Gabe Vincent ($11.5 million), and Maxi Kleber ($11 million) with expiring contracts. They can include one of their first-round picks from 2031 or 2032 in a potential deal. And with Doncic signed long-term, the Lakers are open to signing a player with a contract that extends beyond 2026, according to sources. “If there are smart ways to invest in our championship aspirations for next year, we will execute them,” Pelinka said. “And we see having those two players on our team next year [as] an important moment, and we will continue trying to do everything possible to deliver this franchise its 18th championship.” After this summer of mutual investment towards that goal, there is certainly alignment. “He emphasizes every day that his goal is to win a championship,” said a source close to Doncic. “He trusts the front office to do their part and trusts what they are building.”The support from the Lakers organization and the Laker Nation [was] incredible. It meant a lot to me that Rob, Jeanie, Kurt, Linda and Dr. Sims came to Poland and that the Lakers fans were watching the EuroBasket and cheering for Slovenia.
Doncic
