third day

ATLANTA — JJ Redick was already preaching one type of Japanese philosophy, harping to his team about the concept of “kaizen” to improve each day. Off the court, the head coach found inspiration in another Japanese phrase.

Lakers players and coaches have used PechaKucha presentations to facilitate team bonding this season. The slideshows, which come from the Japanese word for chitchat, could be a secret to the team’s hot start as the Lakers (7-2) have won five consecutive games entering a five-game road that starts Saturday in Atlanta at 5 p.m. PST against the Hawks.

The Lakers have pieced together one of the NBA’s most efficient offenses despite injuries keeping LeBron James, Austin Reaves and Luka Doncic in and out of the lineup, relying on a strong team bond that’s developed quickly through an even faster form of communication.

PechaKucha presentations are traditionally 20 slides, each with a photo. The speaker has 20 seconds to explain each slide for a total presentation time of 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

The Lakers’ version consists of five slides: where you’re from; favorite basketball memory; person, event or thing that has impacted your life; your non-basketball happy place; and dealer’s choice.

“A lot of times most of the interactions you’ll have with your teammates is on the basketball court,” forward Jake LaRavia said. “So it’s good to just kind of either learn some stuff about them outside of basketball, like hobbies and stuff like that, where they come from. And that just helps you kind of understand who the person is a little bit better.”

Assistant coach Scott Brooks started his presentation with a photo of a walnut, symbolizing the walnut farm he worked on during the weekends to help his family make ends meet. LaRavia showed a photo of his driveway as the origin of his basketball journey. Doncic spoke about how his daughter Gabriela changed his life.

One coach and one player present, and then they each nominate the next coach or player to go. With about half of the players and coaches left, Redick said he’s already noticing the holdouts actively planning their presentations before their nominations.

“We’re just constantly encouraging and empowering our guys to get connected,” Redick said. “I believe if you’re connected off the floor, you’re connected on the floor. You need buy-in to that. I’m not trying to take credit for my staff here. It’s the guys on the team, they’re bought into that.”

Doncic, for one, isn’t sold. He deadpanned that he doesn’t think the exercise helps.

Just the fact that Doncic made the joke meant it’s working.

Settled after last season’s jarring trade, the 26-year-old’s personality has started to emerge among his teammates. He is a sarcastic jokester who expresses love for his teammates by threading passes to them through pinhole-sized gaps in the defense and then trash talking them right soon after.

Lakers coach JJ Redick, with injured forward LeBron James next to him, questions a call along with guard Marcus Smart during the game against the Spurs on Wednesday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Doncic’s smiling antics, whether he’s trying to sit on Austin Reaves’ lap on the sideline or swishing halfcourt shots in a contest with Reaves, Maxi Kleber and staff members, show just how connected the superstar feels to the team.

“Honestly, the feeling is I’m enjoying, very much, playing with these guys,” Doncic said. “AR [Reaves] can’t play. We’re still missing LeBron. So this team has a big potential. But everybody who steps on court, gives maximum, man, everybody. So it’s very enjoyable to play.”

Reaves is present on the road trip but will miss a third consecutive game Saturday. The Lakers ruled him out after practice Friday as his right groin injury progressed to a strain after previously being categorized simply as soreness.

James did not make the trip to Atlanta. He progressed to on-court basketball activities this week after missing four weeks because of a sciatica on his right side. He was playing one-on-one with coaches, Redick said. A stint with the South Bay Lakers is on the table, but no decision has been made.

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer hasn’t played a single minute for the Lakers yet. Reaves, averaging 31.1 points and 9.3 assists, has missed the last two wins, and Doncic has played in only half of the games. But the Lakers are still fifth in the NBA in offensive rating.

“It shows how professional we are,” guard Marcus Smart said of the team’s chemistry despite constantly changing personnel. “I think a lot of people, especially who aren’t in the brotherhood, they forget that you build a relationship with guys, and then one guy or a couple guys, you get traded and you got to rebuild another one. You don’t understand how tough that is, how much of a toll that takes.”

Just as Smart spoke, Doncic appeared behind the group of reporters, clapping loudly. Then Doncic made sure to put on the record that he would beat Smart at a team-building competition that night. Both smiled as they walked away.

At some point during the Lakers’ preseason, Luka Doncic will play in a game.

The question is when.

Even after being a full participant in practice Saturday, Lakers coach JJ Redick said that Doncic was “TBD” (to be determined) when asked if his star guard would play in Sunday’s exhibition game against the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena.

Redick said Austin Reaves will play and that Marcus Smart will see action in his first preseason game of the season.

The Lakers will play six preseason games, three of them coming after the game against the Warriors.

After practice, Doncic was asked when he would play.

“I don’t know yet,” he said. “We got to talk about it — JJ and my team. So, I don’t know yet. But I’m probably going to end up playing two games of the preseason.”

When the regular season starts Oct. 21 at home against the Warriors, Doncic will not have running mate LeBron James beside him.

James was diagnosed with sciatica nerve issue on his right side, the Lakers announced to the media Thursday, saying that he’ll be re-evaluated in approximately three to four weeks.

James and Doncic formed a great partnership when they played together after the shocking blockbuster trade last February.

Not having James to start the season has to be unsettling for Doncic and the Lakers.

“It’s a big change,” Doncic said. “He’s a great player. He can help us a lot. But at the end of the day, our mentality needs to be next man up. We got a group of guys that have been practicing and hopefully LeBron can join us as soon as possible. We are going to obviously need him. But our mentality has got to be next man up. That’s it.”

Doncic will get plenty of help from Reaves, Smart, Deandre Ayton, Jared Vanderbilt and others with James out.

Still, the assumption is that Doncic will have to carry a heavy load with James sidelined.

“No. I don’t view it that way,” Doncic said. “I just want to play basketball. If I do less, if I do more, whatever it takes for me to get a win.”

James hasn’t practiced at all, but Doncic said that hasn’t stopped the two of them from figuring out the team can still function at a high level.

“It’s not everything about on the court. That’s what I’ve been saying,” Doncic said. “It’s about chemistry off the court, too. So, obviously, now it’s a little more off the court, but while we watched practices this week, we talked a lot about it.”

Lakers keep moving ahead without James

They had known over the summer that James had been dealing with “the nerve irritation,” Redick said, and so it wasn’t a total surprise James is going to be out with a sciatica issue.

Redick said James has been on the court “every day” doing individual work. He just hasn’t been able to practice with his teammates.

Redick was asked how James’ inability to participate in practice affected his game planning for practice and going into the season knowing that he won’t be available for a while.

” No, no effect on practice planning,” Redick said. “And we haven’t game-planned yet, so, no effect.”

Redick had not put too much emphasis on his starting lineup during training camp and during the preseason games.

But with James turning 41 in December, entering his 23rd season and being injured in training camp, Redick was asked if he could foresee having a lineup with James starting and another with him out.

“Potentially. Yeah,” he said. “Something that certainly has crossed my mind in the last couple days. Yeah…You hope that he’s back soon. That’s, those things are, those things can be tricky. So it, I don’t think it’s …

“We knew this going into camp, so it wasn’t like it’s changed anything for how we want to practice or what our philosophies are with the preseason games. It is unclear who’s gonna be, what the starting lineup is gonna be. That’s the reality until he is back. We’ll have to figure that out.”

Lakers star LeBron James will miss the first regular-season game as he continues to deal with a sciatica issue, the team announced Thursday afternoon. James will be reevaluated in three to four weeks.

The 40-year-old is entering an unprecedented 23rd NBA season. He had yet to practice with his teammates during training camp and he did not play in the Lakers’ first two preseason games.

Before the team’s announcement, coach JJ Redick told reporters at practice Thursday that “he’s on his own timeline.”

Added Redick, “You’ve got to play the cards you’re dealt. That’s a shame, but that’s just the reality. … No one has got any time with LeBron [James] hasn’t been on the court with the team, but that’s just the reality.”

While fellow star Luka Doncic has slowly been ramping up his conditioning following a busy summer that included playing for Slovenia in the EuroBasket tournament, Redick said he hopes that Doncic will play in at least one preseason game.

The Lakers have four more preseason games, the next on Sunday against the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena.

What Luka Doncic did for his Lakers teammates was unique and different but no less impactful. It was a view inside the superstar guard’s way of leading the team.

In a team-building event Doncic organized, he took his teammates to a Porsche Driving Experience after practice Tuesday. He covered the entire cost of the event in which his teammates tested Porsche models on a track.

That so impressed Lakers center Deandre Ayton, bringing a smile to his face when asked about Doncic’s gesture.

“I truly appreciate Luka for that,” Ayton said. “I’ve never done that before, where the star players really look out for the team like that. Something like that is actually crazy. I’ve never heard of it or been in a Porsche before. So it definitely was my first time. I didn’t know that Luka was into cars like that. So, yeah, him and LeBron [James]. It was good seeing them behind the wheel. Seeing LeBron behind a car is dangerous.”

At 7 feet, Ayton was asked if he was comfortable driving the car.

“Yeah, they had some cars where they could hold a 7-footer,” he said. “I don’t know if it was custom or that’s how they’re made or some other factors. But just seeing LeBron James in a sports car pushing, I was like, ‘Yo, he knows cars.’ Him doing his thing, that was pretty cool to see.”

All summer and during training camp, the Lakers have talked about building team chemistry.

They talked about how doing things together off the court is an important part of building chemistry and of learning about a teammate.

Doncic, along with James, is considered one of their leaders and this was seen as magnanimous.

“Yeah, I mean, anytime, some of our max players and guys that have been in the league a while can put something on for the team is great,” Gabe Vincent said. “It’s great when we come together, do something a little bit more extravagant maybe than we would have on our own. Everyone gets to walk away with some cool [stuff].

“Most importantly, you get to do it together, you know what I mean? Sharing experiences is one of the quickest ways to grow closer. So, we’re very grateful to Luka for putting that one on. Everyone had a great time. It’s been great to see him get more comfortable.”

Vincent also did his part in a team-building moment.

Over the summer, he invited his teammates to the sand dunes in Manhattan Beach.

It was his show of leadership after so many workouts and his way to help build that team chemistry.

“So, I tried to just get guys together, most of them were young guys, but just get out on the sand, play a little spike ball, and work down the sand a little bit,” Vincent said. “It’s something to get out of this [practice facility] building, you know what I mean? In the summer, we spend so much time in the gym, grinding at the same thing over and over that sometimes you kind of need a change of scenery. So it’s something for us to do that was different, something for us to do together. We had a good time with it.”

Ayton getting more comfortable

After two preseason games and several more practices, Ayton is starting to get more comfortable with his role inside the Lakers’ offense.

He took more shots in the second game against the Warriors, making three of eight from the field, than in the first game against the Suns, missing both shots, and he scored more points against the Warriors (seven) than against the Suns (two). He blocked two shots in each game and has a total of 15 rebounds.

“How comfortable am I getting? Um, real comfortable, to where I am starting to know their plays and where the screens are and in general, Lakers terms and Lakers basketball,” he said. “So, it’s becoming quite easy just to read the floor and what [Lakers coach] JJ [Redick] likes and what he wants us to be known as, especially going into our rhythm offense and transition offense. So, yeah, the terminology and everything is starting to be easy and I feel in control on each end.”

The Lakers’ first practice of the week gave them hope of what they can look like whole when Marcus Smart takes the court.

Smart has been dealing with Achilles tendinopathy most of training camp and has been limited in practice. But coach JJ Redick said after practice Tuesday that Smart “did most of practice, including some live play.”

Redick said LeBron James and Luka Doncic — along with Maxi Kleber (quad) and Gabe Vincent — did “modified, mostly individual work.”.

“Marcus participated in some live [practice] and then was out at the end,” Redick said. “Yeah he was awesome. He was awesome. He, I think given the workload of today, I was impressed that he was able to sustain his level of intensity for as long as he did.”

Redick said Doncic was out for “load management.” Then Redick laughed.

Smart has been one of the NBA’s better defenders over his career, winning defensive player of the year for the 2021-22 season while playing for the Boston Celtics and being named to the All-Defensive first team three times — 2019, 2020 and 2022.

That will be a big part of his role with the Lakers, and during practice they got a glimpse of his defensive tenacity.

“Yeah, he guarded me a little bit at the first of practice,” Austin Reaves said. “You still feel that pressure. You feel the intensity that he brings on the defensive end, and that’s going to be big for us. We need that. We need him to be the best version of himself. With that communication that he brings, especially defensively, he’s been in the league a while. He knows how to win at the highest level. So, very excited to have him.”

After the Washington Wizards bought out his contract, Smart received several calls from Doncic about joining the Lakers.

Smart eventually signed with the Lakers for two years and $11 million.

At practice Tuesday, Smart left an impression.

“He looked great. He was moving great,” Jarred Vanderbilt said. “But like I said, his main power is that he’s vocal. So being able to help the guys. Communicate, that’s a big part of defense also. Being physical is one of them, but also being vocal, being able to communicate. I think he does both at a very high level. So, he can definitely help us on that end of the floor.”

Vanderbilt is the Lakers’ other top defender, his versatility allowing him to guard multiple positions.

He was asked to envision what the Lakers’ defense will be like with himself and Smart together on the court.

“Aw, man, just causing havoc,” Vanderbilt said. “Not only physically but just vocally. He’s a vocal guy as well, so it’s being the anchor of the defense, flying around, setting that tone defensively. Like, I’m excited. I can’t wait to share the court together.”

LeBron James ad

At some point after practice, the Lakers were asked if any one texted them about James’ cryptic post about “#TheSecondDecision” on Monday.

It left many wondering if James was talking about retiring.

He was not. It was about an ad for Hennessy that was posted on social media Tuesday morning.

“You guys are idiots,” Redick said when asked, laughing as he spoke. “We all knew it was an ad, right? No, I think most people that text me are also aware that it’s probably an ad, so it wasn’t. … Nobody was freaking out.”

Still, James is entering his NBA-record 23rd season.

“I just got a couple calls, like, ‘what is this?’” Reaves said, laughing.

Rui Hachimura wanted to know what was going on.

So he contacted James just to be sure.

“I mean, [I got] a couple texts. But I texted him too,” Hachimura said. “But he was using a [weird] emoji. I don’t even know. I didn’t understand at all. But he loves to do that type of stuff. Surprises, right?”

The plan, Luka Doncic said Thursday after the the Lakers’ third day of training camp, is to go “a little bit slower” during these sessions so he doesn’t totally tax his body after a summer of playing hoops with his country’s national team.

About a month ago, Doncic and Slovenia were eliminated from the 2025 EuroBasket in the quarterfinals by Germany, his 39 points not enough to salvage a win.

Doncic, who slimmed down this offseason, had been playing at a peak level then, but now he and the Lakers want to ease him back into things with the hopes of avoiding injuries.

“Yeah, obviously probably take it a little bit slower than the usual,” said Doncic, who will play in the Lakers’ first preseason game Friday night against the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert. “I had a busy summer. I think month, month and a half I was with national team. So, it was kind of a lot. But that got me ready for the preseason and obviously regular season. So, for me, I think it really helps.”

This camp for the Lakers and Doncic is all about being in tip-top shape, something coach JJ Redick stressed after they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

It has meant more drills, more running, more exertion.

“Yeah, we just talked about today,” Doncic said. “It’s not just physical shape. It’s mental shape too. So, that kind of goes both ways. Both are very important. We’re doing practice. It was great. Everybody’s in great shape. Everybody’s running a lot so it’s been great so far.”

Over the first three days of camp, the Lakers have seen Doncic dominate.

They have seen his creativity, his ability to find teammates from all places on the court.

“Yeah. I think I’m just reminded of his own greatness,” Gabe Vincent said. “He sees the floor so well. He could score from anywhere on the floor. He is always a threat. But he does such a good job of commanding defenses. He gets all 10 eyes on him and he sees the floor and he makes a good read nine times out of 10.”

Still, there are moments when the Lakers are learning how to play alongside Doncic. They are learning his style, which can only help them during the regular season

“Yeah, I think a bit,” Vincent said. “But like I don’t really see Luka as a premeditated individual, you know what I mean? He’s very much so reading and reactive, so you have to read and react with him. So I see it that way. He’s high IQ. LeBron [James is] pretty similar in that route as well. So, it’s definitely still learning him, learning what he likes and doesn’t like. And just playing at his level.”

Getting in shape

Since the end of last season, the mantra from Redick was for his team to be in championship shape.

To that end, at the close of the Lakers’ third day of training camp, Redick pushed his players in which they had to run for six minutes, 10 minutes and six minutes.

“I don’t know if they like me right now for what we just finished practice with,” Redick joked.

Apparently, Vincent said, it wasn’t an issue for him and his teammates.

“I told JJ about a week or two ago, I said, ‘If we all hate you, but we all hate you collectively, that’s great,’ ” Vincent said. “So, as long as we’re together in it. … Obviously no one wants to run at the end of a long practice. But we know the goal we have set for ourselves and we know what we’re trying to do moving forward and we all embraced it, we all got the run in and we all got better for it.”

Injury update

Redick said James, Maxi Kleber (quad), Marcus Smart (achilles tendinopathy) and Aduo Thiero (knee) will not play against the Suns.

Redick said Kleber had an MRI exam and that “he’ll be out a few days.”

“It’s a very minor thing with his quad,” Redick said. “But we’re going to be cautious with him, just like we will all our guys right now.”