EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -- Luka Doncic’s growing leadership role with the Lakers was evident long before the team opened training camp. For coach JJ Redick, one example came when Doncic helped bring his teammates together in Slovenia during the offseason — and picked up the cost of their private flight.
“He paid for a private plane for 14 guys or 16 guys to fly to Slovenia,” Redick said after the third day of training camp. “That’s pretty extra.”
The gesture reflected the responsibility Redick said Doncic is eager to embrace. Leadership has been a central topic in their conversations, with the Lakers counting on Doncic and Austin Reaves to establish the standard for the group.
Redick pushed back on the suggestion that leadership is something new for Doncic, saying he had already demonstrated it over the previous season and a half. But he also acknowledged that changes to the roster create opportunities for players to take on greater responsibility, something he and Doncic discussed throughout the summer.
That growth, Redick said, comes with experience. Beyond his ability to direct an offense, Doncic has reached a point in his career where what he has learned can help the players around him.
“He’s pretty much seen everything in the NBA at this point,” Redick said. “So beyond just being a vocal leader and being a great teammate, he has a wealth of knowledge to share.”
Redick said he sees a willingness in Doncic to continue developing as a leader, much as he does as a player. That includes understanding how teammates respond to his actions and reactions, with body language becoming a particular point of emphasis.
“I think he recognizes that the vocal side of things is one thing,” Redick said. “The body language thing, both positive and negative, is another thing. And that’s a focus, is just having great body language.”
The responsibility extends to Reaves, whom Redick identified alongside Doncic as a player the rest of the roster will look to for direction. How those two carry themselves will help shape the team’s response to the demands of the season.
“This group of guys is gonna follow him and AR, that’s just the reality,” Redick said. “They’re gonna follow those two guys, and that’s a huge responsibility for both of those guys.”
On the court, the Lakers held an extended scrimmage during their third practice and spent time addressing offensive details. Redick said that work would remain a priority during the team’s Saturday and Sunday sessions before traveling to Sacramento.
Everyone participated in some capacity, although the coaching staff continued to modify the workload for a couple of players. Redick did not identify them and said it remained undetermined whether any would miss early preseason games.
“I think there’s nothing long-term that we’re worried about right now,” he said.
Defensively, Redick outlined an approach built around keeping opponents out of the paint and making it harder for them to initiate their offense. He pointed to points allowed in the paint and the rate at which opponents get paint touches as useful measures of how well the Lakers are containing the ball.
The habits he wants to see are equally clear: defenders picking up the ball full court, using pressure to consume the shot clock and bringing enough physicality to disrupt an opponent’s preferred actions.
“We’re looking for a group of guys to embrace picking the ball up full court, eating away at the shot clock, being disruptive, taking teams out of their offense, being physical,” Redick said. “And those guys have done that this week.”
For the Lakers, the next step is carrying those early habits into games. Redick’s first three days of camp have offered encouraging signs, with defensive effort taking shape on the floor and Doncic accepting the responsibility of helping lead the group.