Los Angeles Lakers: Luka Doncic Update

Los Angeles Lakers fans and media members can look forward to October 2025. The Lakers will face Luka Doncic’s former team, the Dallas Mavericks, during a preseason game in Las Vegas, per NBA insider Marc Stein. For now, the 2025 NBA Draft will take place in Brooklyn from June 25-26. Both fans and media members are dealing with the lull time ahead of the 2025 NBA Free Agency. However, the Lakers franchise should spark plenty of storylines.

In contrast, Mavericks fans and media members might dread October 2025. The Mavericks’ 2024-25 season ended on April 18, 2025, after a 120-106 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in Memphis. The Mavericks’ 39-43 record was the team’s second sub-.500 finish in the last three years, sandwiched around a trip to the 2024 NBA Finals.

Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic Prepares

Doncic has been preparing for the 2025 NBA preseason, while enjoying life with his family, regardless of how one describes his weight. Doncic, 26, is reportedly starting fresh with a new conditioning plan to prepare for the upcoming season.

NBA insider Marc Stein posted on X, formerly Twitter, on May 7, 2025. Stein wrote, “Expect an early season matchup between the [Dallas] Mavericks and Luka Doncic in 2025-26: I’m told that the [Los Angeles] Lakers and Mavericks are lining up to play a preseason game in Las Vegas in October.”

Doncic’s conditioning and commitment to staying in shape has been a hot-button issue in recent years. However, Doncic appears to be doing his best to turn over a new leaf in Los Angeles, a stark contrast to Dallas. He can lead the Lakers past the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs.

Lakers’ Doncic Outlook

The Los Angeles Lakers can win with Doncic, but it’s a matter of the Lakers’ star-studded lineup being consistent and Doncic’s commitment to staying in shape. The Lakers must deliver under the bright lights to enjoy a successful 2026 NBA playoff run. Also, Doncic, LeBron James, and Austin Reaves’ supporting cast must step up to the plate.

James, 40, dropped a truth bomb on what makes Doncic so great. In the June 1, 2025 episode of the “MIND THE GAME” podcast, James said, “It’s always his pace, and it’s always been his pace … It’s never been a game, like, ‘You could speed me up. He can speed me up. This bigger guy can be more physical. The smaller guy could get up underneath me.‘ He moves at his own pace, and he’s never, ever, been on the floor where he’s allowed someone to dictate where they’re gonna put him on the floor. It’s always been the opposite.”

Final Thoughts

Los Angeles Lakers Head Coach JJ Redick claimed that the team needed to be in “championship mode” next season. Redick will enter the 2025-26 season as a second-year head coach. Meanwhile, ESPN NBA analyst Jay Williams made more scathing comments. Williams said that Luka Doncic “has the body of a 40-year-old.”

Despite others’ conflicting opinions, Doncic should be excited to play the Dallas Mavericks in a preseason game this October. Doncic and the Lakers have an opportunity to shine bright, while the Mavericks await Kyrie Irving’s return. But, for now, the Lakers could benefit from upgrading their center rotation, along with their guard and wing depth, respectively.