Insider Delivers Final Verdict On Luka Doncic’s Preseason Debut

After one of the most eventful offseasons in recent memory, Luka Doncic has yet to set foot on the court in preseason action for the Los Angeles Lakers this season. With Doncic still sidelined, as well as the injury to LeBron James, the Lakers have yet to see their full lineup healthy before the season even begins.

However, while that might be a cause for concern, the Lakers got a massive update on the availability of their top star. According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Doncic expects to play his first game for Los Angeles against the Phoenix Suns.

“Luka Doncic plans to play Tuesday in Phoenix against the Suns, a source told ESPN,” McMenamin wrote on X. “It will be Doncic’s preseason debut. Lakers coach JJ Redick said Doncic will play in two out of

LAL’s final three preseason games.”After signing his extension with the Lakers, going on a weight-loss journey, and leading Slovenia at the 2025 EuroBasket tournament, Doncic has yet to play in any action through the

team’s first three preseason games.

Luka Doncic Set For 2025-26 Debut

While Doncic differs from James and other Lakers players due to his not having a specific injury, the star sat out due to his workload over the summer.

But now, the Slovenian is set to make his debut, albeit in preseason action. Redick had previously stated he planned to play Doncic in two preseason games, so McMenamin’s reporting goes along with that sentiment.

“Doncic sat out L.A.’s 1-2 start to the preseason, with the Lakers looking to lessen the 26-year-old star’s workload coming off his monthlong commitment playing for the Slovenian national team in EuroBasket,

” McMemanin wrote in his article for ESPN. The Lakers have a total of three more preseason games, meaning Doncic will likely suit up against the Suns and either the Dallas Mavericks or Sacramento Kings to close out their exhibition matchups.

“Redick said that Doncic would also play in either the Mavs or Kings game,” he added. “It stands to reason that the Kings game would be more likely, considering the Mavs game falls on the second night of a back-to-back

.”

Jake LaRavia on Luka Doncic’s leadership: “You follow him because he’s Luka. You know what he does, you know who he is on the court”

Regardless, Redick also said he

doesn’t expect Doncic to be playing anything close to the full game, as he’ll ramp up his minutes in each of the two games he’ll see action. “I would say there will most likely be a ramp-up from Game 1 to Game 2 in

Luka’s minutes,” Redick said. “What that total number looks like, we’re still talking to (the trainer) and Luka about what kind of makes sense.”Though traded midway through last season, Doncic remained

extremely impactful for the Lakers and expects to do the same this season.

Smart Also Back For The Lakers

Along with the news of Doncic’s preseason debut, McMenamin reported Marcus Smart will return to action for the Lakers. Smart, a former Defensive Player of the Year who arrived in Los Angeles over the summer, was dealing with Achilles pain through the

team’s training camp.

“Marcus Smart, who has been out for the first three preseason games because of Achilles tendinopathy, also will make his Lakers debut in Phoenix, according to Redick,”

McMenamin wrote. “The coach added that Austin Reaves will also play against the Suns.The news of Smart’s return comes as a good sign for the Lakers, who will need every bit of his defensive intensity over the course of the upcoming season.

For Reaves, he has already played well in multiple preseason games, and the action against the Suns will likely be a short stint to get better prepared for his role alongside Doncic.

While Redick is getting back two of his top guards in Doncic and Smart, the question remains about who he will start in place of James. “You want to put your five best players on the court as much as possible. You also want to have balance with every lineup,

” Redick said when asked about that decision. “When we do our substitution metrics: Who is going to guard? Who is going to create? Are we going to have enough shooting?

So you’re doing that with every lineup you put out there, including the starting lineup.”Lakers insider Dan Woike believes Jarred Vanderbilt will take James’ spot, but for now, the news of Doncic and

Smart’s return comes as a good sign for a team that has yet to be fully healthy to start the season.

Mina Kimes Doesn’t Hold Back on Seahawks After Beating Jaguars

The Seattle Seahawks‘ defense had a bounce-back performance in the 20-12 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6. After giving up 38 points in the shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5, the Seahawks’ defense responded with an impressive performance.

Furthermore, the group made life difficult for Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. The Seattle defense sacked Lawrence seven times in the game as they wouldn’t allow a repeat of Week 5, where an offense did whatever they wanted.

NFL Next Gen Stats (h/t Seahawks.com) shows the Seahawks pressured Lawrence on 25 of his 50 dropbacks, marking the highest rate of pressure he has faced this season. Seattle’s defense sacked him seven times—already surpassing his total sacks over the first five games (6)—and added 17 quarterback hits.

On the October 13 edition of “NFL Live,” ESPN NFL analyst Mina Kimes gave the Seahawks’ defense their flowers for how they performed against the Jaguars, which was something she didn’t expect to start the game.

“Early on there were a couple busted coverages,” Kimes said. “I’m thinking this is going to be another shootout like the Tampa game. And then the Seahawks defensive line said, ‘Nah.’ This was a feeding frenzy at the line of scrimmage. Seven sacks, 17 quarterback hits, 25 pressures. Going back and watching all the sacks.”

Mina Kimes Talks Seahawks Coach Mike Macdonald

Moreover, Kimes spotlighted the defensive play calling from head coach Mike Macdonald and how he never allowed Lawrence to get comfortable with the constant pressure that Seattle was generating.

“It really is amazing to watch Mike Macdonald,” Kimes added. “He’s a mad scientist at work with some of the overloads. He was using the defensive linemen like chessmen, the games they were

running [and] some of the simulated pressures. And while if this was a group project, I would frankly give everyone on that defensive line an A.

“Leonard Williams is the best defensive lineman in football that people don’t talk about. He was borderline unblockable in this game. He dominates week after week, but he is a truly special player and part of a truly special defensive line.”

Seahawks Defense Came Up Big Late

Nonetheless, while the Seahawks had an impressive performance, Macdonald noted that the team’s ability to shut the door on the Jaguars after giving up a touchdown to make the scoreline 20-12 was just as outstanding.

“That’s been an emphasis for us,” Macdonald said of the defense’s finish (h/t Seahawks.com). “We weren’t shying away from it, and our guys were awesome. I think you could sense it on the sideline that they wanted the opportunity to go out there and play, and that’s all you can ask for as a coach.

“It’s not like—there’s no secret play calls that you hide on your play sheet until the fourth quarter then all of a sudden you just start waving the magic wand. We’re executing our defense and our guys did it at a high level, and that’s what it’s going to take.

“But I think the mentality was the driving force behind how we finished the game out, and that starts with our leaders on defense, our coaches—AD (defensive coordinator Aden Durde) did a tremendous job all week getting our guys ready to go. It was a fun group to be around as the fourth quarter started to unfold.”

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