Luka Dončić arrived at Los Angeles Lakers training camp on September 28 cleared for full participation — but head coach JJ Redick confirmed he will sit out the team’s first two preseason games as a precaution. The Slovenian star spent the summer managing a hamstring strain that had lingered since the 2025-26 season’s final stretch.
Cleared but cautious: what “no restrictions” means in practice
Dončić passed his physical and received clearance from the Lakers’ medical staff with no restrictions on his practice load. Redick drew a clear line between clearing a player for camp and clearing him for competitive play.
“He’s in great shape, he’s engaged, he’s been terrific in practice,” Redick told reporters. “But we’re going to be smart about this. Two preseason games, you don’t need to risk anything.”
The Lakers open preseason action on October 7. Dončić is expected to return for game three of the preseason slate, giving him roughly two weeks of training camp before his first game action.
Background: the hamstring strain
The hamstring issue first emerged in February and was managed through the playoffs, with Dončić appearing in all games but showing visible limitations on his lateral movement. He averaged 29.4 points, 8.2 assists and 7.6 rebounds during the 2025-26 regular season — production that ranks in the top three in franchise history for a guard — but the offseason was spent in recovery rather than development work.
The Lakers built their summer around the assumption that Dončić would be fully healthy by camp. That assumption appears validated, though the precautionary preseason approach signals the organization is taking no unnecessary risks with its most valuable asset.
Implications for the Lakers’ start
Without Dončić in the preseason opener, Los Angeles will rely on Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell to run the offense in the early exhibitions. Both are capable veterans, and Redick has emphasized using preseason games to sharpen the rotation rather than evaluate his stars.
The regular season opens October 22. If the preseason plan holds, Dončić will have at least three to four games of competitive prep before the games count. Per NBC Sports, the franchise sees his hamstring as fully resolved and views the two-game absence as a standard load management protocol.
