Luka Doncic Sends Strong Message to Lakers Teammates Ahead of Opening Night
· Yahoo Sports
The Los Angeles Lakers had a huge offseason, overhauling their roster following LeBron James‘ departure in free agency.
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Luka Doncic is officially the head of the table, with Austin Reaves as his second-in-command.
The Lakers added Walker Kessler and Jaden Hardy via trades and signed multiple free agents, including Quentin Grimes, Sandro Mamukelashvili, Collin Sexton, Kevon Looney, Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams.
Luka Doncic Sends Message to Lakers Teammates
GettyLuka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Sacramento Kings in a preseason game at Crypto.com Arena on October 08, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.In the first episode of Lakers Close Up: Building the Foundation on YouTube, Luka Doncic discussed the team’s foundation heading into the new season.
Doncic preached accountability, which is what they needed to win games.
“Everybody should keep each other accountable,” Doncic said. “I think it’s very important for us to win games to have a solid foundation that everybody sticks together, but we need to find a way to win.”
The six-time NBA All-Star has taken a leadership role now that he’s the franchise superstar. He even took initiative in the offseason to build chemistry. He welcomed his Lakers teammates with open arms to his native country of Slovenia for a mini-training camp.
NBA Insider Reveals Lakers Leadership Hierarchy
GettyAustin Reaves #15 and Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers look on against the Sacramento Kings during the first quarter in a preseason game at Crypto.com Arena on October 08, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
In an AMA discussion on Reddit, The Athletic’s Dan Woike answered some questions ahead of an important season for the Los Angeles Lakers.
One of the queries was about Lakers leadership, and Woike revealed that Austin Reaves is more of a vocal leader than Luka Doncic.
“We’re going on year two or so of Austin Reaves being the most vocal leader,” Woike wrote. “Luka Doncic is pretty quiet, LeBron James is way more of a lead-by-example player.”
“Even before the Luka deal, Reaves was the guy who had bridged the gap between the back of the bench, the team’s stars, and the coaches,” the insider added. “He was the most approachable and has been a critical behind-the-scenes presence.”
GettyAustin Reaves #15 of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles the ball against the Sacramento Kings in a preseason game at Crypto.com Arena on October 08, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
It’s still great news for the Lakers since they have multiple leaders. Reaves and Doncic have chemistry on and off the court, so the hierarchy isn’t important as long as they are winning games.
The Lakers begin their season on October 21 at home. They will welcome Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors to the Crypto.com Arena. They went 0-2 against the Warriors in the preseason.
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