Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic has twice dominated the Sacramento Kings to open up preseason action. He had 21 points in 16 minutes as the purple and gold won by 24 in the opener. Doncic followed it with 23 points in 25 minutes in the first game at home. Luka has been a slow starter in his NBA career, but the summer off has Luka locked in from the jump. This could be his year to prove he’s the best player on the planet.
Doncic is a historically slow starter. His lowest per-month scoring and assist averages come in October, along with shooting just 32.2 percent from 3-point range. His commitment to fitness in the 2025 offseason helped him have two 40-point games to start last season before a finger injury forced him to miss four of the next six games. Luka is back in fantastic shape and wants to prove he is not just the MVP, but the best player in the world.
The Lakers rebuilt their roster around number 77 this summer. Doncic knows this is his team, and he is taking the responsibility of leading them. Luka quarterbacked the Mavericks to the NBA Finals in 2024, but has faced constant turmoil since. The rare summer off has Luka looking ready to be his first-team All-NBA self from the start.
Luka Doncic skipped playing for the Slovenian National Team
Luka missed the final five games of the regular season and the entire playoffs with a hamstring injury. Instead of returning for the Slovenian National Team this summer, he opted to spend time with his daughters. It was the first time since the pandemic that Doncic didn’t represent his country in FIBA play.
Luka wasn’t just sitting around this summer. He took some time off to heal before jumping back into fitness work. Doncic looks to be in phenomenal shape, and head coach JJ Redick even poked a bit of fun at his superstar.
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
The break was a positive for Luka. He led his team to the playoffs in five of the last six years, including two deep playoff runs. Immediately after being eliminated, he was quickly going to play for Slovenia. He had the delayed Olympics in 2021, EuroBasket in 2022, the World Cup in 2023, Olympic qualifiers in 2024, and EuroBasket in 2025. That is a lot of miles and wear, which likely left Luka at less than 100 percent to start each NBA season.
The rest was positive, and fans should be watching one stat closely to start the year.
Watch Luka Doncic’s 3-point shooting
Luka has shot 32.1 percent from 3-point range to start the season over 149 games in his first eight years. He has busted out of the slump earlier in some years, but Doncic is a career 35.2 percent 3-point shooter. When his jumper is locked in, Luka is virtually unstoppable. The slow starts shooting have hurt his MVP cases and placed him among the five best players instead of at the top.
Doncic averaged a league-leading 4.0 3-pointers made per game last season. Now imagine if he shoots 37 percent for the entire season. He has made five of 15 during the preseason, but Luka has played in spurts to work his way into form. There has been a focus on getting shots up over fully locking in on offense.
Number 77 may take the fast start from last season to a new level. He is healthy and already pouring in buckets. If Luka is making his threes, everyone will remember that 2024 version of Luka who took out Kawhi Leonard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Anthony Edwards in the playoffs to win the West.
New-look Lakers are built to maximize Luka Doncic
The Lakers got younger and more athletic in their rebuild, but this is a squad built to maximize Luka. Fans haven’t seen Walker Kessler or Collin Sexton yet this preseason. Both are dealing with minor injuries and are expected to be ready for opening night. Kessler is the rim protector and lob threat Luka has wanted since he arrived in LA.
The Lakers added more dribble, pass, and shoot players to their roster. Fans have already seen the new additions make the offense more dangerous and increase the defensive intensity. LA is a serious threat, and Luka will be the head of the snake.
This could be the year. Doncic has made first-team All-NBA six times. He may finally win MVP and have everyone talking about him in the conversation with SGA, Victor Wembanyama, and Nikola Jokic as the best player on the planet. Fans are already seeing Luka locked in, and it is only preseason.
The Los Angeles Lakers built their team around Luka Doncic. So far, that decision looks genius, and the best is yet to come.
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