After the Los Angeles Lakers’ preseason closer against the Sacramento Kings, Luka Doncic spoke about what the team is missing, and one star believes he has the answer.
The Los Angeles Lakers finished their preseason game with a home loss to the Sacramento Kings.
This was the first time we took an extensive look at what the Lakers’ rotation would look like, as several star players played significant minutes. In fact, Luka Doncic played well until the fourth quarter and then sat out.
The Lakers will finish the preseason with a 1-5 record, but that may not be much of a concern. After all, preseason is just a way for players to get their reps ahead of the new season.
However, Luka Doncic has pointed out issues he’s seen with the Lakers throughout the preseason and wants them addressed immediately.
Luka Doncic spoke to reporters after the Los Angeles Lakers’ 118-117 loss to the Sacramento Kings. As for what was the difference between playing in practice and preseason games, the answer was obvious.
Doncic believes the Lakers need to do a better job of translating their physicality in practice into games. He emphasized how important this is, especially with the different rotations they play.
“So practice is definitely different. I think in practice we’re more physical. But like I said, we need to work on our physicality.”
“Sometimes we work in small groups, sometimes we work in large groups. There are some things that need to be taken care of. I think we obviously lacked (the physicality).”
In response to Luka Doncic’s comments, Marcus Smart told other Lakers what they need to do to fix the problem.
Marcus Smart was asked by reporters about Luka Doncic’s comments. Smart kept his mouth shut and told other Lakers to follow his lead as he set the tone for defenders with energy.
“Follow my lead. That’s really it. I try to set the tone every night. They just piggyback on me. Some nights I can’t do it. They just piggyback on me. Some nights I can’t do it.”
“That’s part of the game. There’s four other guys with us. We just take what I say seriously. Me, the band and Gabe go out there and try to bring that vibe every time.”
“So if they can keep up with us, we can do that…and we’re going to do that. If we can control that, you’ll see an improvement in the physicality of the whole team.”
Luka Doncic scouted Marcus Smart to the Lakers primarily because of his defensive ability. The former Defensive Player of the Year is only 31 years old and can contribute at a high level.
How far can the Lakers go with Marcus Smart as their best defender? Well, if he’s anything like the 2022 Boston Celtics version of himself, a trip to the NBA Finals is not out of the question.