The Los Angeles Lakers are taking a team trip to Slovenia with Luka Doncic to build chemistry together before next season. Austin Reaves made a funny comment about getting to beat Doncic at golf as his main excitement for the upcoming trip. Luka and Reaves are considered the leaders after LeBron James left the team in free agency. Many NBA teams take part in group activities before the season, but an international trip is rare.
Reaves shared the following quote about the trip and his excitement:
“I’m feeling great. I’m going to kick his a** in golf. So, that’ll be a lot of fun, but it’ll just be good to get around everybody. We got a fairly new team, a lot of new guys. So it’ll just be good to be around them, get to know one another off the court, and just build that chemistry there.”
Reaves discussed both the funny side of his golfing rivalry with Doncic and the real aspect of creating a better team dynamic. New players like Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes, and Collin Sexton will have the chance to get familiar with the locker room members before training camp. Reaves is clearly taking it seriously and will do his best for the team chemistry.
Why Luka Doncic Had This Lakers Idea
The Lakers had an active summer of both losing many fan favorites and adding new talents. General Manager Rob Pelinka wanted to build a roster better suited to Luka’s strength and flaws. However, this led to LeBron, Rui Hachimura, and others leaving the team for better offers elsewhere.
Doncic invited his teammates to Slovenia to treat them to a fun experience and to start working together early. The leadership shown by Luka likely makes head coach JJ Redick ecstatic about his role within the franchise. Not every superstar wants to lead the roster to confirm that Doncic is going into this season with high expectations.
Teammates will have the chance to see how they get along while most other teams are still fully on vacation. Rookie Cameron Carr is the only name currently not scheduled to be there due to the timing of a mandated rookie orientation event.
Lakers Need Extra Help To Contend
The extra time for the Lakers to build winning habits and comradery could help make up the talent gap with the rest of the league. Both the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder are considered strong favorites to make the NBA Finals.
Even teams like the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves have higher ceilings for most pundits. Doncic must be an MVP candidate to lead the flawed roster deeper to enough wins for good seeding and to put themselves in position to have a deep playoff run.
The Lakers are hoping that teamwork and chemistry can be formed early to set them up for a hot start. Doncic led a Dallas Mavericks squad to the NBA Finals in a season where no one expected them to contend. The same must happen here, and Luka is trying to do everything he can to help them have a shot.
Austin Reaves Gives Hilarious Reason For Lakers Trip Excitement