The basketball world can’t get enough of Luka Doncic this season. After the NBA superstar was included in one of the most shocking trades in NBA history, Doncic’s buzz somehow increased.
The Slovenian superstar ended up in one of the biggest NBA markets. All offseason long, Doncic was in the press, recalling his trade and promoting his first full run with the Lakers.
Before returning to Los Angeles, Doncic competed in a high-stakes hoops tournament at EuroBasket. He was attempting to win a medal for his country before getting back to the goal of winning an NBA title.
Sep 29, 2025; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) during media day at UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Now that he’s back, Doncic is healthy and preparing for the 2025-2026 NBA season, but in a limited fashion. When the Lakers tipped off their first preseason game against the Phoenix Suns on Friday night, Doncic was not a part of the action. Will he take the court at all during the NBA preseason? The Lakers’ head coach, JJ Redick, claims that will be the case.
“Luka will play in the preseason,” Redick told reporters, according to Dan Woike.
“Luka will play in the preseason,” – JJ Redick said. He’ll have next week to “continue to get ramped up.”
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) October 4, 2025
After the Lakers take on the Suns on Friday, they’ll focus on their matchup against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, October 5. Ahead of the action against the Suns, Doncic was reportedly ruled out already for the Sunday night battle versus Golden State.
As Redick noted, that will give Doncic exactly one week from Sunday to gear up for his preseason debut with the Lakers.
Reading the tea leaves, it seems the Lakers are eyeing a potential Luka debut for next Sunday against the Warriors. At that point, Doncic would have ample time to get ready.
The Lakers are likely to keep Doncic’s workload at a minimum while the games don’t count for obvious reasons. With a long season ahead, the Lakers anticipate making a deep playoff run with Luka and LeBron leading the way.
Even if Luka doesn’t play a ton of minutes, the fact that he’s expected to play should spark some major buzz across the league. As some stars tend to avoid preseason minutes due to health concerns, or resting after training camp, Doncic is expected to participate in his first preseason action with the purple and gold.
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