Category: NBA

After not playing in an organized basketball game since April 2, Luka Dončić returned to the floor Monday night for the Los Angeles Lakers in their 127-103 victory over the Sacramento Kings. He recorded 21 points (5-of-12 shooting), three assists (five turnovers), two rebounds and two steals in 16 minutes of action. Following the game, Dončic, who spent the final month of 2025-26 and much of the offseason rehabbing from a Grade 2 hamstring strain, offered a reassuring report on his status.

“I felt great, honestly,” he told reporters Monday night. “The whole team was just moving faster. But me, personally, I think I felt great.”

Typically a mainstay on the Slovenian national team during tournaments and qualifying play, Dončić sat out this summer’s World Cup qualifying games while he recovered from last season’s injury. As such, he went more than half a year between basketball games and is happy to be back on the court.

“I missed it a lot. Basketball is one of the best things in my life and I missed it a lot,” he said. “It’s been, what, five, six months I think? Being back for the games, being competitive, it’s just a lot of fun for me and I’m really happy to be back.”

Although Dončić has rarely missed extended time in his career, he has been a bit banged up over the years, especially the past couple seasons. Only twice has he missed 10 or fewer regular-season games, which happened in 2018-19 (his rookie year) and 2020-21, though he’s also only missed more than 20 games once (2024-25). The Lakers will need as much from him as possible this season to vie for home-court advantage against teams like the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets, so they’ll hope his lengthy layoff and unfortunate end to 2025-26 ultimately proves beneficial in 2026-27.

Individually, a healthy campaign would also aid his chances of an MVP honor. He’s finished among the top five in MVP voting four times and been named All-NBA First Team six times but just once has he earned a top-three finish. If he can play, say, 74 games this year, he’ll have a much better chance at finally adding an MVP trophy to all those impressive All-NBA First Team bids.

You can follow Jackson on Twitter at @jackfrank_jjf.

On Bright Side, it’s always about the players. Whether it’s analyzing Devin Booker’s playmaking, Dillon Brooks’ defensive impact, or Collin Gillespie’s floor spacing, we’re always giving you the latest on the team and their main contributors. But something we don’t do often is give a glimpse of the people who put the players in spots to succeed and operate on the court.

This is why we’ve made a coach’s guide. Almost a mini-Wikipedia page. Take a look at Jordan Ott’s staff and their basketball and personal backgrounds. Of note: there is full continuity from last season, both in the names and roles for these assistants.

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Chaisson Allen

Allen coached the 2026 Summer League Squad, leading them to a 3-2 record, and saw Khaman Maluach receive All-Summer League second-team honors. The second-longest-tenured assistant behind Brian Randle, Allen’s background is in prospect development, as he’s spent time coaching at both the college and G League levels. Some of the main players he’s been around are AJ Green, Lonnie Walker IV, and Christian Wood.

After going undrafted in 2011 out of Northeastern, Allen spent his basketball career overseas until he retired and went to the University of Miami to work on their player development staff. He’s been coaching or playing at the collegiate or professional level for 20 straight seasons.

DeMarre Carroll

Playing ten years in the NBA, Carroll joined the coaching staff when Jordan Ott took over last year. Carroll played for the Nets when Jordan Ott was an assistant in Brooklyn and was an assistant alongside him in Cleveland and with the Lakers. Coaching the 2025 Suns Summer League team, Carroll played a large part in the development of Ryan Dunn, Oso Ighodaro, Khaman Maluach, and Rasheer Fleming.

When Carroll played in the NBA, he was known for his ability to space the floor and guard players on the perimeter was a veteran alongside some of the NBA’s most dynamic passers in the 2010s, including Kyle Lowry and Mike Conley. A member of the 60-22 2014-15 Atlanta Hawks team that is one of the only teams in NBA history to have four all-stars, Carroll can reference what it’s like to contribute to elite teams that share the basketball.

Sean Dwyer

Dwyer coordinates game planning, video coordination, and tactical analytics. Much like Jordan Ott, there is a Michigan State connection – as a student manager during his four years in East Lansing. He did college basketball video coordination at Florida and Alabama (2009-15) before taking various assistant coaching roles through 2024-2025. In today’s NBA, video coordination is underrated. Several prominent NBA coaches, including Eric Spoelstra, Mike Brown, and Ott, took on video and planning as early career responsibilities.

Recently he made these comments about working his way up the coaching ladder on the Rising Coaches podcast.

John Little

Little acts as a conduit with the League Valley Suns and the NBA club. After playing at Northern Iowa (Kurt Warner, anyone?!), he had a pro career for a decade in Germany before returning to his alma mater as a video coordinator. Counting experience as the Valley Suns head coach in their first season, he’s had a total of six years of G-League coaching experience. That’s essentially a whole career playing and coaching one level below the “big leagues”. He knows all about hard work and the mindset of players on the cusp of really making it.

This season, two-way players such as CJ Huntley, Koby Brea, and Pat Spencer will be his focus, as well as managing any changes there, such as Kennedy Chandler, who shows enough to replace one of those players.

Jesse Mermuys

Mermuys is the lead assistant coach and also has primary responsibility for the defensive specialists. In his last stop before joining the Suns last season, he was recognized for developing the Orlando Magic’s defense into a top-three-ranked unit in back-to-back years. Overall, he has 18 years of NBA coaching experience spanning six teams prior to the Suns, plus an assignment with USA Basketball. Those roles were under mostly defensive-minded head coaches (George Karl, Kevin McHale, Dwyane Casey, Luke Walton, Dave Joerger, and Jamahl Mosley) as noted in last year’s article by Brandon Duenas.

Last year, we saw significant improvement in the Suns’ defense. With added defensive skills from Miles Bridges and more minutes in year two with Khaman Maluach, Mermuys has the ingredients to cook up a special defense this season.

On the Coaches Site podcast this offseason, Jesse discussed coaching at a high level while not having been a college or pro player.

Mike Muscala

The most recent NBA player on the coaching staff, Muscala can be seen actively working with players before games in warmups. Playing under Ott as a video coordinator with the Hawks, Khaman Malauch has a strong blueprint for how he can complement Devin Booker by spacing the floor and playing alongside ball-dominant scorers.

In his NBA tenure, Muscala played alongside LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jaylen Brown, mostly serving as a backup center and reserve. Playing for the Thunder from 2019 to 2023 and then returning in 2024, he helped mentor many of the main players who led the 2025 champions and was there when the team was struggling all the way to them becoming the first seed in the Western Conference.

Brian Randle

Randle’s focus is on front-court development, a role that is, in some ways, complementary to Muscala’s. He had been an assistant on the NBA Finals team under Monty Williams and was brought back as part of Ott’s staff last year.

As noted in last year’s team press release about the coaching staff, Randle is a graduate of the University of Illinois, where he played four seasons on the men’s basketball team before playing professionally overseas, winning the Israeli Basketball Premier League’s Defensive Player of the Year award a league-record three times.

In limited TV interviews, he’s seemed intelligent, backed by a pedigree that includes a bachelor’s degree in agri-finance and a master’s in sports management. That, combined with the on-court experience above, positions him well for this role.

Players like Rasheer Fleming, Ryan Dunn, and Koa Peat are within Randle’s scope. Those are three of the team’s most important developmental pieces, making his coaching a key determinant of near and long-range team success.

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Are there other areas of the organization you’d like a deep dive on? Let us know!

During JJ Redick’s first two seasons as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, they’ve finished 18th (2024-25) and 15th (2025-26) in opposing turnover rate and never eclipsed 14.6%, per Cleaning the Glass. While it was only a preseason game against the Sacramento Kings, which project as one of the league’s worst teams this year, their performance Monday night in that regard had Redick quite content.

“The defense carried over [from practice]. I think we had 16 turnovers forced in the first half…and [26] overall,” Redick said of his team’s play in the 127-103 win. “I know it’s a preseason game, [but] first time since 2000 the Lakers have done that. Clearly, that disruption we talked about carried over,”

Redick was also happy with the Lakers’ showing offensively. Despite Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler not playing, they scored 127 points, including 73 in the first half, and made quick, smart decisions. Projected rotation players in Quentin Grimes (16 points), Ziaire Williams (13) and Jake LaRavia (12) combined for 41 points on 19 shots while Luka Dončić led the way with 21 points (5-of-12 shooting).

“That first half, our organization was at 93%. Our advantage creation was at 65%. We were able to score the basketball,” Redick said. “I thought we did a good job throughout the game of making the right play and passing the ball and not having it stick. Didn’t run a ton of early drags even when Luka was out there but were able to generate good things. Obviously, the defense being able to force turnovers helped our offense. Getting stops helped our offense. I thought our good jobs did a good job, overall, with our running patterns…We just consistently did the right play and the right play helped our teammates.”

If the Lakers can make forcing turnovers a prominent part of their defensive identity — their opposing turnover rate was 25.2% on Monday — it could certainly help boost their chances of being a good or great defense. Among the teams to finish top 10 in defensive rating last season, five of them were sixth or better in opponent turnover rate. A year prior, five of the top nine were seventh or better in opponent turnover rate.

It’s not a prerequisite for being a good defensive unit but it’s certainly a pathway to being one and Redick seems to want that disruption from his team. In the opening preseason game of the year, he got it.

You can follow Jackson on Twitter at @jackfrank_jjf.

Los Angeles Lakers star guard Luka Dončić’s looks have received a lot of attention this offseason.

More important than the 27-year-old sporting a headband during practice or wearing longer hair than usual is that he looks to be in the best shape of his life.

Lakers coach JJ Redick pointed this out with a hilarious comment when speaking to the media on Monday.

“He’s great physically. The guy worked his butt off all summer, on staying in shape. And actually ran this summer. Like, he actually did like sprints and stuff. Came into camp in fantastic shape,” Redick said of Dončić, per ESPN’s Anthony Slater.

Dončić weight and conditioning has been scrutinized throughout his career, but the Lakers star is currently as lean than he has been since his rookie season.

“For someone who normally plays a ton of live basketball, he didn’t do as much of that this summer, by design,” Redick said.

“And we’ve seen him, literally every day in camp, incrementally getting more and more in rhythm. For him, throughout this preseason, that’s sort of the goal… continuing to build that game shape, and continuing to build his offensive rhythm.”

This emphasis on rest, rhythm, and conditioning paid dividends for Dončić during the Lakers’ 127-103 preseason win against the Sacramento Kings on Monday, as he scored 21 points in 16 minutes of action.

Sports are cyclical. It’s very rare for a team to stay on top for a prolonged period of time, just the same as it’s rare for a team to stay in the doldrums for a long time. Smart organizations can keep championship windows open, and dumb organizations can keep shooting themselves in the foot, but in every sport, the bill eventually comes due.

The second apron, an invention of the latest CBA, has been the NBA’s attempt to speed up the cycle. They don’t want teams like the Warriors spending five years at the top of the sport with their all-time collection of talent. They want championship windows to be shorter, but also more volatile. It’s like a conveyor belt; they want these teams to all get a taste of glory before going back to the hunt.

As the current NBA champions, the Knicks are the latest team to fight a battle with the second apron. James Dolan says he does not want to exceed it, something that very few teams have done since it was introduced. They find themselves with a core that wants to be compensated as champions, but have a finite amount of money to get there.

It’s easy to curse the second apron for what they’re doing to muddy up the Knicks’ title defense and beyond, but in doing that, we have to remember that the construction and reason behind this team even reaching the mountaintop was the second apron.

The Minnesota Timberwolves were coming off a trip to the Western Conference Finals, but faced a massive crisis entering the 2024-25 season with their financial table. Some players needed extensions, some players had massive raises kicking in, and they were doomed to spend the season above the second apron. You can spend one year there and survive, but doing two or more years there is a death sentence. Hence, they needed to shed long-term salary.

That’s how Karl-Anthony Towns became a Knick.

The Boston Celtics were the type of unstoppable superteam that the league looked to avoid in 2023-24, boasting a starting five full of players who could create their own shot and hold their own defensively, an extremely rare blend. All of that was bolstered by an elite coach who maximized offensive efficiency with the three-pointer.

It was expensive to keep that team together the following season, and they did it in the second apron, but they knew they had to make changes after 2024-25 to avoid dooming themselves long term with a still-young superstar in Jayson Tatum. When the Knicks took out a bruised, battered Celtics team that May, they offloaded Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday and lost Al Horford and Luke Kornet to free agency, destroying that unstoppable ceiling and paving the way for the Knicks to take their place at the top of the totem pole.

The second apron unraveled the Celtics and Timberwolves, feeding a Knicks team that was excellently built and simply waited until their time to strike. Now, the Robin Hood nature of the second apron has come around to collect from the champs.

Karl-Anthony Towns wants an extension. Deuce McBride wants an extension. Josh Hart (who’s less of a priority due to a team option in 2027-28) wants an extension. Jalen Brunson is due at least $290 million down the road in a future extension (and could be up to $411 million). There’s not enough room under the second apron to keep them all happy.

The second apron already threw a right hook at the Knicks’ underbelly by forcing them to let go of Mitchell Robinson, but now they could come back and take McBride from them next season (or force them to trade him). The desire to keep the band together has caused a lowballing of Towns, something that is openly frustrating him in the media.

KAT dials up pressure, clearly feels disrespected by Knicks offer after winning a championship https://t.co/PTNU6QZSiq

— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) October 5, 2026

And now, we’re getting reports that both he and Hart could be trade chips in February if we can’t get a deal done? What happened to all the good vibes???

No matter how much “power of friendship” you have, money is the universal divider. I’m not calling Towns greedy for wanting to make more than residential losing players, Trae Young and De’Aaron Fox, but I’m also not going to call the Knicks prudish.

The second apron is extremely restrictive and, at most, you can exceed it one time before its vice grips start to sink in. I’m not sure if Dolan knows that fact, but if he does, you have to be very careful with how you use it.

It unfortunately seems like this will be a distraction for the Knicks in their title defense with how rigid the two sides seem to be. As much as it sucks, that’s the second apron.

It steals from the rich and gives to the poor.

CHARLESTON — This time last year, Jayson Tatum was in the background.

While most of the Celtics were finishing up training camp and preparing for the season, Tatum spent most of his free time in the weight room, looking in from the outside.

He still made it a point to go to every practice and nearly every game, home and away. But it was often painful to watch his team go to war on the court while he focused on rehab for a ruptured Achilles tendon.

This October, Tatum is almost 17 months removed from his injury, and he’s front and center at camp. He’s still working with assistant coach Tony Dobbin, the same coach who worked with him through his rehab, except this time, he has no limitations.

So, this fall, Tatum feels an extra sense of gratitude and happiness, just to be a part of things.

“I have a totally different perspective,” Tatum said. “I’ve been open — last year was very tough for me. I just remember these days of training camp, and I would just be in the weight room the whole time watching the team practice, and it was just tough to not just go through it.”

Nowadays, Tatum is getting to know his new Celtics teammates, like Mitchell Robinson, Paul George, Mike Conley, and rookies Chris Cenac and Dillon Mitchell.

Facing the New York Knicks four times a year, Robinson is someone Tatum has long gone up against, but never knew particularly well.

“I love Big Mitch,” Tatum said. “Hilarious guy, and he just brings a different dynamic to our team. Obviously, his size and his instincts on the defensive end. Obviously, a lob threat; how great a defender and rebounder he is. I had a hard time boxing him out for the last 7, 8 years. So, now to have him on our team just give us a different look. Something that I’m super excited about.”

Joe Mazzulla has pointed out all week that it’s easy to be connected and in good spirits at training camp.

“Every team in the league is the most together team right now,“ Mazzulla said on Sunday. ”Because we haven’t traveled. No one’s gotten benched. No one’s been on a losing streak. No one’s gotten blamed in the media. No one’s had to go stand in the corner for 10 minutes and not get the ball. So, you learn those things as the season goes on, and you just learn how to work through those things together. And you can’t simulate those. It just comes with time. And so, right now I would say all 30 teams feel great about themselves, and we got to wait till adversity hits. And adversity is even a strong word. There’s nothing really adverse about playing in the NBA. But we got to wait until stuff doesn’t go your way, and then you got to figure out who we are and how we’re going to be at our best.”

But for Tatum, simply being available for training camp has been a blessing.

“Being on this side and knowing what it felt like to have to watch the whole time, it just [brings] a different level of appreciation of just getting to be a part of the game that I love with my teammates,” Tatum said. “[It’s] a different type of joy that I have now than I did my first eight seasons.”

Hukporti to undergo surgery after tearing Achilles in Sixers' preseason opener originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers have suffered a preseason injury hit at center. 

An MRI confirmed that Ariel Hukporti has a torn right Achilles tendon, the Sixers announced Tuesday afternoon. Hukport will undergo surgery later in the day, according to the team. 

The Sixers didn’t provide an official timeline for Hukporti’s potential return, but it will clearly be a long-term absence. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the injury is “season-ending.” 

Hukporti suffered the injury Monday night in the first quarter of the Sixers’ preseason-opening win over the Knicks. Without any contact, he fell to the floor while defending Karl-Anthony Towns. 

Ariel Hukporti leaves the game after suffering a non-contact injury. pic.twitter.com/IRjPYGhfYA

— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) October 5, 2026

The Sixers on Monday were also without centers Joel Embiid, Adem Bona (left foot sprain) and Tacko Fall (left hip sprain). Embiid participated in the Sixers’ Blue-White scrimmage Saturday and looked good physically. As of last week, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said the team’s hope was that Bona would be able to play in at least a couple of preseason games. 

Hukporti’s injury is a substantial blow to the Sixers’ center depth and raises questions about whether the team will tinker with its roster at the position during the season.

Though Hukporti was the Knicks’ third-string center last year, he appeared to have a higher chance at regular minutes with the Sixers. He likely would have competed internally with a fellow third-year big man in Bona. Outside of their traditional centers, the Sixers’ possible options at the five include Dominick Barlow, Dean Wade, LeBron James and Jabari Walker. 

It didn’t take long for Hukporti to become well-liked by his new teammates and coaches. 

Walker described him as a “brother” Monday night. Jaylen Brown called the 24-year-old German a “great guy.”

“Huk has been a joy to have,” Brown said. “He’s been great in the locker room. It sucks to see a guy like that go down.”

There are always fun moments throughout media day. With the vibes at an all-time high for the Sixers, this year was no different.

Jaylen Brown was one of the first to speak. After a chaotic offseason which saw him in trade rumors, his game and personality dragged through the mud, and eventually shipped off to a bitter rival, there were plenty of intense questions.

A few moments earlier, LeBron James was at the dais preaching the importance of sacrifice. Brown was asked how he felt about James’ comments.

“100%,” Brown said. “That’s what’s needed.”

Then second-year guard VJ Edgecombe was passing through as all the players go from circuit to circuit during the course of the day. Without even breaking his tone, Brown kindly asked Edgecombe to keep it moving.

“VJ, get your ass outta here.”

Being in the room, it felt like a big brother-little brother moment for the 29-year-old All-NBA performer and the 21-year-old First Team All-Rookie pick. Edgecombe laughed, then joked during his availability about Brown not answering his phone calls this offseason.

Sometimes, people just click. That seems to be the case with these two.

On Monday, the Sixers played their preseason opener with James, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey out of the lineup. Even with the defending champion New York Knicks putting out their regular starters, Brown and Edgecombe were sensational in a 120-97 win at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Brown was effusive in praise for Edgecombe postgame … to say the least.

“I love VJ already,” Brown said. “Like he’s one of my favorite people in the world and we just met. But VJ is going to be great, and I’m excited to help him continue to thrive, but his talent level is off the charts.”

“That’s cute, Jaylen,” Edgecombe said about Brown’s comments. “That’s my dog. I love Jaylen.”

It’s hard to disagree with Brown’s assessment if you watched Edgecombe last year and saw him Monday night. The No. 3 overall pick had a fantastic rookie season, helping the Sixers beat Brown and the Boston Celtics in the playoffs. Of course there’s always room for growth and, though it was just one preseason game, the improvement was noticeable against the Knicks.

As a rookie, Edgecombe was thrown into the fire as the team’s primary backup point guard behind Maxey. Keep in mind, part of the knock on Edgecombe coming out of Baylor was his playmaking, so to see him grow into that role throughout the season was a pleasant surprise for the Sixers.

With Maxey out Monday, Edgecombe was the starting point guard — and he was excellent. Always a confident player, you could see the summer work Edgecombe put in on his dribble led to another level of confidence on the floor. He was somehow both electric and methodical, punching gaps in the defense to score or find teammates.

“I mean he’s made a step forward I think just in general,” Nick Nurse said. “It just feels like he’s better than he was a year ago, and I think [ball-handling is] one of them. And I think that handle is getting him through some tighter gaps down the lane. Once he punches through, he’s going to be in the air. So that’s important I think for him getting to the front of the rim, which he’s really good at, and we just need him to do it more often.”

Edgecombe finished the night with 12 points and seven assists (to zero turnovers) in less than 20 minutes. A couple of those assists were to Brown, who was fantastic in his Sixers preseason debut.

Not sure what the analytics say, but he sure as hell didn’t look like the seventh-best player on the court. In fact, against the defending champs, who feature one of the best wing defenders in the world in OG Anunoby, Brown was the best player on the floor.

We got to see Brown’s entire scoring bag — aggressive drives, midrange pull-ups, threes. The power he plays with on the wing is something the Sixers haven’t had since Jimmy Butler was here. He’s in constant attack mode, which puts the defense on its heels more often than not.

“I was more impressed with his offensive creation,” Nurse said. “Not only his own shot, but just his ability to kind of come down and be in the paint, and you better send some help or he’s gonna be finishing. And I think that he also had a couple nice kickouts and stuff. …

“He’s kind of what I would call a methodical driver. He does it a little bit more with balance and strength than he does with maybe quickness. But he usually breaks through the gap, and now he’s heading towards the rim.”

“Rim pressure” is sort of a trendy phrase in the NBA right now. With Brown and Edgecombe — and not to mention James, Maxey and Embiid — the Sixers should be able to apply it on a nightly basis this season.

The JB-VJ duo could lead the charge on a dangerous second unit, much like we saw Monday. There’s been so much talk about sacrifice and roles changing, but Brown and Edgecombe should get their opportunities to cook in those lineups.

And they already have an ideal mentor-mentee relationship.

During his introductory press conference, Brown harkened back to his rookie season in Boston. He was also the No. 3 overall pick at just 20 years old. He was also joining a veteran team with championship aspirations. In his second year, the team added All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.

Who better to guide Edgecombe along this path?

“He’s like … someone that I actually lean on for information,” Edgecombe said. “He’s obviously super smart. He got that Berkeley education, man. … He’s a really great person. … Like we actually really cool. ‘Cause … what month is this? October. You know, he just [got traded] like two months ago. …

“We talk about whatever — whatever’s on our mind at the time we just have a conversation about, and that’s someone that’s actually willing to have a conversation with people.”

SACRAMENTO — That is what Luka Doncic has missed.

Not post-practice shooting. Not transition drills where players have to successfully fill their lanes on a fastbreak. 

But the opportunity to play basketball against an opponent after going several months without doing so.

And after six months away from competitive games, Doncic finally got to experience that feeling again, scoring 21 points on 5-of-12 shooting in 16 first-half minutes during the Lakers’ 127-103 preseason-opening win over the Kings on Monday night at Golden 1 Center.

“Luka, he’s many things, many good things – he’s not really a drill guy in practice,” coach JJ Redick said. “Whenever practice starts, he’s just ‘Are we playing live today?’ Like ‘When is live? When is live?’ He wants to play. He likes the competition, he likes the way live action looks and feels to him. He just has a real joy for playing the actual game of basketball. 

He certainly works on his game. The guy works every single day on his game. But that’s his joy –  playing live basketball.”

And for the longest stretch of time since he entered the NBA in 2018, Doncic wasn’t able to experience that joy for most of 2026.

Before the Lakers' preseason-opening win over the Kings tonight, the last time Luka Doncic played in an official basketball game was April 2 – the longest stretch he's gone without playing since he entered the NBA.

Luka: "I missed it a lot. Basketball is one of the best things… pic.twitter.com/N2Nq2cViuN

— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) October 6, 2026

A severe left hamstring injury he suffered during the Lakers’ loss to the Thunder on April 2 in Oklahoma City ended his 2025-26 season early. Doncic missed the final five regular season games and the Lakers’ 10 playoff games before being swept by the Thunder in the second round. 

And unlike most summers, Doncic didn’t play for the Slovenian national team during the offseason so he could focus on spending time with his two daughters amid an ongoing custody battle with his ex-fianceé, Anamaria Goltes.

Which led to Doncic going just over six months – 184 days to be exact – without playing in an official basketball game. 

“I missed it a lot,” Doncic said. “Basketball is one of the best things in my life, and I missed it a lot. Being back for the games, being competitive, it’s just a lot of fun for me, and I’m really happy to be back.”

Despite not playing in an officially basketball for most of the year, Doncic was able to channel his competitiveness in other ways. 

JJ Redick on Luka Doncic: "He's great physically. I mean, the guy worked his butt off all summer. Staying in shape and actually ran this summer. Like he actually did like sprints and stuff, and came into camp in fantastic shape." pic.twitter.com/KqbRZQpJl9

— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) October 6, 2026

“Golf is one of the things, honestly,” he said. “I’m always competitive on the golf course. You gotta have competition every day. But then also, I practice basketball, so it was competitive there. Play some other games, being competitive there. Playing cards is competitive there. It’s just being competitive every day.”

Doncic said he didn’t change much about his offseason training routine, outside of probably feeling a little more rested since he didn’t play with his national team.

But he looked notably slimmer coming out of this offseason, even after his slimmed-down physique was a significant talking point during the 2025 to the point of being on the cover of Men’s Health magazine. 

“He’s great physically,” Redick said of Doncic. “I mean, the guy worked his butt off all summer. [Stayed] in shape and actually ran this summer, like he actually did like sprints and stuff. And came into camp in fantastic shape. For someone who normally plays a ton of basketball, live basketball, he didn’t do as much of that this summer by design. And I think we’ve seen him literally every day in camp incrementally just [getting] more and more in rhythm.”

The Lakers team Doncic returned to was much different than the one he previously played on. 

Gone are LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton and most of the players who had a significant role in the Lakers winning a first-round playoff series against the Rockets despite Doncic’s absence. 

Nine new players are on the roster, showcasing against the Kings why the Lakers added them to the team.

From the defensive havoc Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle were creating with their fullcourt pressure, to the offensive firepower Quentin Grimes and Sandro Mamukelashvili were showcasing. 

The Lakers forced 15 turnovers in the first half, scoring 22 points off those takeaways, to help build a 73-47 lead after the opening two quarters before Doncic sat out for the remainder of the game.

“We all had fun out there, especially with Matisse and Ziaire, just that beginning of the game, the start, that’s contagious for everybody, and how they start the game, it was inspirational,” Doncic said. “So, and then the other guys came from the bench, and it was amazing just to watch them. They were having fun, they were sharing the ball, so I think the whole team had a lot of fun.”

The team’s marquee addition, center Walker Kessler, didn’t play because of a minor finger injury.

Star guard Austin Reaves (ankle), veteran guard Collin Sexton (calf) and two-way forward Arthur Kaluma also didn’t play against the Kings with their minor injuries.

James Wiseman is among several veterans competing for the Knicks’ final roster spot. 

New York is prioritizing keeping another big man in the mix, perhaps giving Wiseman and others the inside track for the position. 

The 25-year-old made a strong first impression in Monday’s preseason opener. 

Mike Brown played the Knicks’ regulars sparingly their first time out, creating an opportunity for the reserves to showcase what they can do. 

While he only saw nine minutes off the bench, Wiseman took advantage. 

The former No. 2 overall pick made his presence felt on both ends of the floor, knocking down three of four shots and a pair of free throws for eight points while also pulling in five boards. 

One of those buckets came on a nice alley-oop feed from Jordan Clarkson, and another on a putback layup after cleaning up a missed shot on the offensive glass. 

Wiseman finished the night a -13, but also recorded a block. 

“It felt good just contributing to the team,” he said. “I’m just focused on taking things one day at a time, building on each game and each practice, and doing the simple things.”

If Wiseman can carry this strong start into the Knicks’ next three preseason matchups, perhaps he can earn himself a deal and the third center spot to start the year. 

The big man does already have a fan in head coach Mike Brown, who was on the Warriors' coaching staff during his first two NBA seasons. 

"When you’re that long and athletic with skill, there’s a place for you in this league," Brown recently said. "Sometimes it takes the right moment, the right team, the right situation, all of that to be able to fit someplace and grow -- he’s one of the many guys that we’re excited about.”

Wiseman hasn’t quite fit in just yet during his NBA career, but perhaps he’ll be able to while reuniting with Brown. 

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Bucks fans and fans across the country.

Hey Brew Hoop family… NBA basketball is officially back this week, and with a new coach and (basically) a new team, there is so much to monitor. One of the main things I’mwondering is how coach Taylor Jenkins approaches the preseason and what he hopes to accomplish. Jenkins could prioritise either of the following two options and be well within his rights to choose either one:

• Experimentation: Trying heaps of combinations to increase the chance of discovering who works well with who; using a large playbook to see which sets work and which don’t; throwing as many young guys in the deep end as possible to get their feet wet. However, you risk trying to achieve everything and end up achieving nothing.
• Continuity: Heavily use predetermined lineups you’re more sure you will use in the regular season, and stick with them until they operate the way you want; limited playbook and aim for quality over quantity. However, you may throw away the chance to test certain combinations and sets that may actually be your most effective.

In last night’s game, Jenkins did play 14 guys, but the rotation was tighter in the first half, so I guess he went with a bit of both. In any event, if you had to choose one option, which would you choose? Please share your rationale in the comments too.