Luka Doncic’s Preseason Debut Against Suns: What Surprising Moves Will He Unveil?

Luka Doncic is about to make his preseason debut with the Lakers, and the game plan? It’s about as straightforward as it gets: hand him the ball and let the magic happen. Coach JJ Redick doesn’t seem worried about the nitty-gritty of his minutes just yet—they’re still ironing out the details between the Lakers’ staff and Doncic’s crew. What’s clear though is that once Doncic hits the court, he’s the focal point, the guy who’ll command the basketball and set the pace. While the back-to-back games loom, it’s unlikely we’ll see Luka take the floor against his former team, the Mavericks, so his big preseason impact will likely come against the Kings later this week at Crypto.com Arena. Practices have offered a sneak peek into his leadership and energy, fueling some early-season optimism. The regular season opener against the Warriors is circling fast, and Luka’s gearing up for it like a pro ready to take charge. If you’re as curious as I am about how this all unfolds, you’re going to want to stay tuned. LEARN MORE

When Luka Doncic plays in his first exhibition game of the season for the Lakers against the Phoenix Suns Tuesday night, Coach JJ Redick said the plan with his star is pretty simple.

“Give him the ball,” Redick said, laughing.

Redick paused for a second.

“You talking about minutes?” he asked.

Redick said they are “still working through what that looks like” with the Lakers’ staff and Doncic’s team.

“I think very likely it’ll be some form of a ramp-up from tomorrow to whenever the second game is that he plays in,” Redick said. “What that looks like in terms of the total minute, I don’t know.”

But one thing is for certain when Doncic steps on the court with his teammates.

“Yeah, he’ll touch the basketball,” Redick said.

The Lakers then play a back-to-back game Wednesday night in Las Vegas against the Dallas Mavericks, Doncic’s old team, but it’s highly unlikely he plays in that game.

The Lakers finish their preseason against the Sacramento Kings Friday night at Crypto.com Arena, which is when Doncic probably will play, especially since he said last week that he wanted to play in two preseason games.

The Lakers open the regular season Oct. 21 against the Golden State Warriors at home and that is the main thing Doncic is getting ready for.

He’s done more in practice, giving his teammates a view of what Doncic is like.

“Oh, he’s moving great,” Jared Vanderbilt said. “Everything that I’ve seen from him, he’s being vocal. He’s leading the charge. He’s being everything we need him to be right now. So, we’re happy to have him out there right now during this week, him getting some good practices and running with us, and just starting to build that momentum towards the regular season.”

ETC: Redick said Marcus Smart, who has been recovering from an achilles tendinopathy injury, will play against the Suns. … Redick said Maxi Kleber (quad) participated in the Lakers’ stay-ready game Monday.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.