Luka Doncic set for Lakers preseason debut Tuesday against Suns
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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Luka Doncic will appear in his first preseason game for the Los Angeles Lakers when the team faces the Phoenix Suns on the road Tuesday, head coach JJ Redick announced.
The 26-year-old star missed L.A.’s first three preseason contests — a 1-2 start — while the club managed his workload following a month with the Slovenian national team at EuroBasket. Redick said he will coordinate with Doncic’s longtime athletic trainer, Javy Barrio, to determine the guard’s minutes in Phoenix and expects a gradual increase in the second outing.
“There will most likely be a ramp-up from Game 1 to Game 2,” Redick said, adding with a grin that his plan for Doncic is simply to “give him the ball.”
After visiting the Suns, the Lakers close their six-game preseason with two more contests: Wednesday against Doncic’s former team, the Dallas Mavericks, in Las Vegas, and Friday at home versus the Sacramento Kings. Redick noted that Doncic will also play in one of those games, with the Kings matchup the more likely option because the Dallas game comes on the second night of a back-to-back.
Guard Marcus Smart, sidelined for the first three preseason games by Achilles tendinopathy, is also set to make his Lakers debut Tuesday. Redick said Austin Reaves will be in uniform as well.
Opening night against the Golden State Warriors is just over a week away, and Redick acknowledged he is still finalizing his starting lineup. The process is complicated by LeBron James’ absence; the forward is expected to miss at least two to three more weeks with right-side sciatica before another evaluation.
“You want to put your five best players on the court as much as possible,” Redick explained. “You also want balance with every lineup — who guards, who creates, do we have enough shooting? Losing LeBron for the start of the year complicates things, so we have a week to figure that out, and I think it will reveal itself to us.”
Source: ESPN
