SACRAMENTO — That’s exactly what Luka Doncic is missing.
Not the post-practice shots. Not a transition drill where players have to successfully fill the lane on a fast break.
But after months of not playing basketball, there was a chance to play basketball against an opponent.
After six months away from competitive action, Doncic finally got a taste of that feeling again, scoring 21 points on 5-for-12 shooting in the first half of the Lakers’ 127-103 preseason opener win over the Kings at Golden One Center on Monday night.
“Luka, he’s got a lot of stuff, a lot of good stuff — he’s not really a trainer in practice,” coach J.J. Redick said. “Whenever practice starts, he’ll ask, ‘Are we playing live today?’ Like, ‘When is it going to be live? When is it going to be live? He wants to play. He loves the game and what a live show looks and feels like to him. He gets a real joy out of playing a real basketball game.
He’s certainly committed to his game. This guy plays hard every day. But that’s what he enjoys — playing basketball live. “
And for the longest time since entering the NBA in 2018, Doncic won’t be able to experience that joy for most of 2026.
He suffered a serious left hamstring injury during the Lakers’ loss to the Thunder in Oklahoma City on April 2, ending the 2025-26 season prematurely. Doncic missed the final five games of the regular season and the Lakers’ ten playoff games before being swept by the Thunder in the second round.
Unlike most summers, Doncic did not play for the Slovenian national team during the offseason so he could focus on spending time with his two daughters amid his ongoing custody battle with ex-fiancée Anamaria Goltes.
This resulted in Doncic not participating in an official basketball game for more than six months – 184 days to be exact.
“I miss it so much,” Doncic said. “Basketball was one of the best things in my life and I miss it so much. It’s been fun for me to come back and compete and be competitive and I’m excited to be back.”
Although Doncic has not participated in official basketball games for most of this year, he has been able to express his competitiveness in other ways.
“Honestly, golf is one of them,” he said. “I’m always competitive on the golf course. You have to be competitive every day. But at the same time, I practice basketball, so it’s competitive there. Play some other games, be competitive there. Play cards there, be competitive there. Be competitive there every day.”
Doncic said he hasn’t changed much about his offseason training regimen, other than feeling more rested from not playing for the national team.
But he came out of the offseason looking noticeably slimmer, though his slimmed-down physique became a major talking point in 2025, even making the cover of Men’s Health magazine.
“His physical attributes are great,” Redick said of Doncic. “I mean, this guy worked his butt off all summer. [Stayed] He was in good shape this summer and actually ran, like he actually enjoyed sprinting and stuff like that. And came into camp in excellent shape. For a guy who normally plays a lot of basketball, live basketball, he intentionally didn’t play that many games this summer. I think we were seeing him gradually every day at camp [getting] More and more rhythmic. “
The Lakers that Doncic returns to are much different than the teams he played for before.
While Doncic is out, LeBron James, Marcus Smart, Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton and most of the players who were instrumental in the Lakers winning their first-round playoff series against the Rockets are gone.
There are nine new players on the roster, and they showed against the Kings why the Lakers added them to the team.
From the defensive havoc Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle created with full-court pressure, to the offensive firepower displayed by Quentin Grimes and Sandro Mamuklashvili.
The Lakers committed 15 turnovers in the first half and scored 22 points on those turnovers to help the Lakers lead 73-47 after the first two quarters, but Doncic was absent for the remainder of the game.
“We all had a lot of fun out there, especially with Matisse and Ziar, just the start of the game, it was just contagious for everyone and how they started the game, it was inspiring,” Doncic said. “So, then other guys come off the bench and it’s amazing just to watch them. They’re having a lot of fun, they’re sharing the ball, so I think the whole team is having a good time.”
The team’s main center Walker Kessler missed the game due to a minor finger injury.
Star guard Austin Reeves (ankle), veteran guard Collin Sexton (calf) and two-way forward Arthur Kaluma also missed the game against the Kings with minor injuries.