JJ Makes One Strong Promise About Luka Doncic After Losing LeBron James

JJ Redick and Luka Doncic have already been tested without LeBron James once before. Back in February, during a rough stretch that followed the Doncic trade, Kendrick Perkins issued a public challenge to both of them on First Take: "Let's see what you can do without LeBron James on the floor."

The Lakers lost, but Doncic finished that night with 45 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in a loss against Milwaukee. Now, with James gone for good after signing with Philadelphia this offseason, Redick made a silent version of the same promise.

For two seasons, the Lakers leaned on what Redick calls "utility plays" - sets designed around having Doncic, Austin Reaves and James all on the floor together, trading off who initiated possessions depending on matchups. Asked about the emphasis on those sets this season, Redick said.

"Haven't given it much thought, because the utility plays were mainly when Austin, Luka and LeBron were on the court together," he said.

Redick's answer wasn't a shrug. It shifted toward something more specific: building the offense around Doncic as its engine rather than one option among three stars. "We'll have our set play packaging and already put in one of Luka's plays," Redick said. "Ran that to death in our scrimmage today and scored every time."

He added that the staff plans to build dedicated packages for each of the Lakers' top options, rather than the shared-utility approach the trio used last season.

Redick has been consistent for over a year about wanting Doncic to be the offense's primary controller. In February, well before the roster changed, Redick said plainly, "I think Luka needs to be the guy that controls the offense," even with James still on the team.

Losing James didn't change that vision. If anything, it removed the unknown that came with managing three ball-dominant stars' touches.

That shift also puts more pressure on Doncic individually. The Lakers' preseason has leaned on expanded practice time and live scrimmaging specifically to build out these new packages, with Redick noting the benefit of skipping the early Palm Springs trip that cut into practice time in years past.

Matisse Thybulle and Ziaire Williams have reportedly been picking up Doncic and Reaves full-court in camp. A defensive emphasis, Redick says, is sharpening both players ahead of the regular season.

None of this guarantees results once games start counting. But Redick's comment is as close to a direct promise as a coach gives this early in camp: the Lakers aren't trying to replace what James provided with parts of old utility sets.

They're building an offense from scratch around Doncic, confident enough in one early scrimmage play to already call it a staple.