JJ Redick mocks his Lakers: "We will give the ball to Luka"

Luka Doncic will make his preseason debut when Los Angeles Lakers visit the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, as confirmed by coach JJ Redick.

The 26-year-old Slovenian missed the first three preseason games for the Los Angeles team as the Lakers aimed to reduce his workload after his one-month participation with the Slovenian national team in EuroBasket.

After the game against the Suns, the Lakers will wrap up their preseason with two more matches: one in Las Vegas against Doncic's former team, the Dallas Mavericks, on Wednesday, and another at home against the Sacramento Kings on Friday.

Redick explained that Doncic will also play one of those final two games, with the likelihood being against Sacramento since the Dallas game is on consecutive nights.

The coach stated that he will work with the player's personal trainer, Javy Barrio, to determine his playing time, with prudence being the priority.

“I would say it's most likely that there will be a progression in his minutes from the first to the second game,” Redick commented. “We are still talking with Javy and Luka about what makes more sense.”

When asked how he planned to use his new star, Redick was clear: “Give him the ball.”

Marcus Smart, who missed the first three preseason games due to Achilles tendonitis, will also debut with the Lakers in Phoenix, as Redick revealed. Austin Reaves will also be available against the Suns.

Redick has not yet settled on a starting lineup

With the regular season starting in just over a week — facing the Golden State Warriors next Tuesday — Redick acknowledged that the starting lineup is not yet defined. LeBron James will be out for at least another two to three weeks due to sciatica on the right side before a reevaluation.

“You want to have your five best players on the court as much as possible, but you also need balance in each lineup,” the coach explained. “When we make our substitution metrics, we think: who is going to defend, who is going to create, do we have enough shooting? We apply that to every lineup, including the starting one. We are still working on it, and obviously losing LeBron at the start complicates things a bit. We have a week to figure it out, and I think it will unfold by itself.”

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, JJ Redick ironiza sobre sus Lakers: “Le daremos el balón a Luka”