Here's Why Luka Doncic Has Been A "Modified Participant" In The Lakers' Training Camp

This week, Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick confirmed that Luka Doncic will be making his preseason debut against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. This is welcome news to Lakers fans who have been waiting for Doncic to wear the purple and gold once again after some time.

These same fans have perhaps been wondering why there are reports of Doncic opting to skip full-time participation in the team’s training camp. Last week, the five-time All-Star guard gave an explanation at a media session in the Lakers’ practice facility.

“Because I had national team,” Doncic said with a shrug. “I played one month and something of basketball. Obviously, it’s a long season again. So, it’s because of that.”

Doncic, of course, is referring to his stint with the Slovenian national team, which was looking to make waves at EuroBasket this past summer. The Lakers star would finish as the tournament’s leading scorer, putting up 34.7 points per game to post the highest single-tournament average in thirty-six years.

Though Slovenia fell in the quarterfinals against eventual champion Germany, Doncic was named to the All-Tournament Team and even got nominated for Best Defensive Player. If Luka Legend can sustain his brilliance on both ends of the floor when the NBA season rolls around, the Lakers could be in a prime position to pick up plenty of wins.

For now, however, Doncic is understandably taking a cautious approach to getting himself warmed up for NBA action. The low-pressure environment of the preseason is one thing, and the spotlight of an opening-day matchup against Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors is another.

It’s safe to say that Doncic is also thinking about the bigger responsibility on his shoulders in the first few weeks of the Lakers’ season. Because LeBron James will be missing about a month of action due to sciatic nerve pain, it’s on Doncic to set the table for his teammates while also bringing high-octane scoring production.

In any case, this is the future that the Lakers envisioned when they pulled the trigger on the blockbuster deal back in February: Doncic taking the reins in Laker Nation and moving the storied franchise forward into the future. It appears that the future has arrived sooner than expected, but from the looks of it, Doncic has every intention of pacing himself and playing the long game.