Luka Dončić looks on during a preseason game against the Golden State Warriors. Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Luka Dončić will play for the Lakers this preseason and could make his debut as soon as Sunday against Golden State, Lakers coach JJ Redick said.
Speaking after a practice Saturday in which Dončić was a full participant, Redick said the star guard was “TBD” for Sunday. The plan, Redick said, is for Dončić to play two of the Lakers’ final four preseason games.
Dončić said his conservative approach to playing in the preseason is due to the month-plus he spent training and playing with the Slovenian national team for the EuroBasket championships.
Redick said Lakers guard Marcus Smart, who also missed the Lakers’ first two preseason games, will make his debut for the team against the Warriors on Sunday.
The Lakers are navigating a disjointed preseason as Redick and the organization have juggled Dončić’s load management, Smart’s Achilles tendinopathy and LeBron James’ sciatic nerve irritation. Last week, the Lakers said James would be reevaluated in three to four weeks as he tries to ramp up for his 23rd season.
“It’s a big change. He’s a great player. He can help us a lot,” Dončić said of James’ injury. “But at the end of the day, our mentality needs to be next man up. We got a group of guys that have been practicing, and hopefully, LeBron can join us as soon as possible. We are going to obviously need him. But our mentality has got to be next man up. That’s it.”
Redick said the Lakers have not settled on a starting lineup with James’ absence.
“We knew this going into camp, so it wasn’t like it’s changed anything for how we want to practice or what our philosophies are with these preseason games,” Redick said. “It is unclear who’s gonna be, what the starting lineup is gonna be. That’s the reality, until he is back. We’ll have to figure that out.”
Oct 11, 2025
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