Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka drew the map of the post-LeBron James era on Thursday: Luka Doncic at the centre, Austin Reaves on notice. Speaking days before training camp, Pelinka framed Doncic as the pillar of everything the front office had built this off-season, and set a much harder bar for Reaves after a summer contract that has already rewritten the club’s payroll.
The tone on Doncic was uncomplicated praise. Pelinka told reporters at the pre-camp press conference that the Slovenian was the reason for the rest.
“Luka’s the world’s greatest offensive player and for us to be able to have an opportunity as a franchise, to have that player in our building every night as a 26-year-old is special and it requires us to do special things to build the team around him,” Pelinka said.
Doncic became the sole face of the franchise once LeBron James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency. He and coach JJ Redick spent much of the media appearance describing a roster deliberately built to match Doncic’s pace and passing.
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Reaves put on notice
The message to Reaves was different. In a Spectrum SportsNet interview ahead of the press conference, Pelinka set out what he expects from Reaves now that he has signed a four-year contract worth roughly $185 million, the richest deal ever handed to an undrafted player in the NBA.
“One of the things we talked to Austin about is like, what does it mean once you’re a max level player? What new responsibilities come your way with that leadership and showing others by example, like how to get better,” Pelinka told the broadcaster.
“So he’s got a whole tool chest of new things that he’s gotta improve on and work at to be a great leader. That’s something he and I and JJ talked about. He embraces that challenge, and I think not only will we see continued growth in his basketball game, but I think we’ll see really strong growth in his leadership skills.”
Pelinka did not name a statistical target. The demand was for leadership next to Doncic, a role Reaves has not held on a Lakers team.
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Kessler cleared for training camp
Pelinka tied the rest of the summer back to the same idea. The trade for Utah Jazz centre Walker Kessler and a wave of younger signings were meant to pull the roster’s average age down to match Doncic’s prime.
“Re-signing Austin, putting together a trade to acquire Walker Kessler, and then building out our team with young players that could dribble, pass, shoot and have brought the average age of our roster to around 26 or 27, which lines up so perfectly with Luka and building the team around Luka Doncic,” Pelinka said.
He also cleared Kessler medically after the off-season shoulder procedure that briefly held up the trade, saying the doctors involved had “ultra confidence that that was like a one-time fix” and that the centre is “fully healthy, fully cleared” for the season.
Lakers media day is on Monday at the team’s El Segundo practice facility, with the first day of training camp to follow on Tuesday, according to the club’s published schedule.
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