The Los Angeles Lakers changed ownership, adjusted their front office, and reshaped the roster around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves this offseason. With Los Angeles set to open the 2026-27 season against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 21, Doncic has made his responsibilities clear.
“I feel like I’ve been the leader since I got here. I felt like the team was missing someone to step up, and I knew I had to take that responsibility,” Doncic told PlayersTribune.
Doncic believes Los Angeles needed a player willing to assume command. He also tied that responsibility directly to the Lakers’ championship pursuit, making it clear that leadership will require more than setting an example on the court.
“We want to win a championship, and that remains the goal. We have the talent and the pieces,” Doncic said, adding that the Lakers must bring everything together and chase that objective.
Luka Doncic Organized Lakers Minicamp in Slovenia
Doncic has already taken action to strengthen the connection between his teammates. He funded an overseas trip to Slovenia that included a Lakers minicamp designed to help the revamped group develop chemistry before the season.
Those who attended the trip offered positive reviews of the experience. The gathering gave Los Angeles an opportunity to work and spend time together before beginning a season filled with significant expectations.
Doncic also provided a telling answer when asked to summarize the reconstructed roster with one word.
“Happy,” Doncic said.
That response, combined with his comments about leadership, reflects the environment Doncic wants to establish. The Lakers have undergone changes across multiple levels of the organization, but their centerpiece has openly embraced the responsibility of bringing the roster together.
Doncic Focuses on Health After Consecutive Injury Setbacks
Doncic’s ability to lead Los Angeles will also depend on his availability. Injuries disrupted each of his first two seasons with the Lakers, beginning with the left calf strain he carried into Los Angeles following his midseason trade from the Dallas Mavericks.
That injury kept him out for six weeks, including his opening week with the Lakers. A Grade 2 strain in his left hamstring then cost him the final week and a half of last season’s schedule, along with Los Angeles’ entire three-week postseason run.
Doncic has spent this offseason following a demanding training plan. Martin Pavcnik of the Slovenian outlet SportKlub reported that Doncic recently reached the final stage of his initial individual program in Ljubljana, per Yahoo.
The plan focused first on fully rehabilitating his injuries before shifting toward total-body conditioning. Longtime personal trainer Anze Macek again directed the process, which included sessions in the weight room and on the basketball court.
According to the report, Doncic has reached his target weight of approximately 105 kilograms and entered his best physical condition in a considerable period. He had not yet progressed to contact work or full-speed basketball drills at the time of the report.
Doncic has identified what he believed the Lakers lacked, accepted the responsibility himself, and invested in preparing both his body and his teammates. The next step comes when Los Angeles begins pursuing the championship goal that its new leader has publicly established.
Lakers’ Luka Doncic Reveals What Team Was ‘Missing’ When He Arrived