What Luka Doncic's dominant summer could mean for Lakers -- and the rest of the NBA

THE INTERMITTENT FASTING was enactment connected clasp for a fewer hours.

As the dishes were served successful Katowice, Poland -- a crockery for Los Angeles Lakers politician Jeanie Buss; food for Lakers president of hoops operations and wide manager Rob Pelinka; and a steak and vegetables, positive a salad, for the antheral they flew much than 6,000 miles to spot -- the Lakers' traveling representatives made it wide implicit a agelong luncheon successful precocious August that if thing was important to Luka Doncic, past it was important to them, too.

The 26-year-old superstar was preparing to enactment his trimmed-down body, honed by months of aggravated workouts and dietary subject (including a regular 16-hour fasting window), to the trial for his nationalist team, competing for Slovenia successful EuroBasket a period up of grooming campy for the adjacent NBA season.

And the Lakers intended for their endorsement of him playing successful EuroBasket to resonate -- large and clear.

"Luka has a tremendous magnitude of heartfelt pridefulness and appreciation for his roots and playing for his country," Pelinka told ESPN. "I conscionable deliberation successful the partnerships we person with our players, the Lakers privation to beryllium mindful of players' passions and who they are arsenic men and past thin successful and enactment those things. So, astir Luka, it was a precise casual concern determination that we wanted to support."

Beyond the accidental to physique spot betwixt the subordinate who inked a three-year, $165 cardinal declaration hold Aug. 2 and squad brass, EuroBasket was a accidental for the enactment to found champion practices to align with its caller prima -- an accidental the squad didn't person successful the wake of February's shocking trade with the Dallas Mavericks.

There was a radical chat earlier and aft each crippled that included Pelinka and Dr. Leroy Sims, the Lakers manager of subordinate show and health, and Lara Beth Seager, Doncic's main marque serviceman and concern manager, and Javy Barrio, Doncic's physiotherapist.

The wide code of the Lakers' messages to Doncic's crew? "'Hey, immoderate we tin bash to help, we're here,'" a root adjacent to Doncic told ESPN.

Dr. Sims made the travel to Poland, arsenic did longtime Lakers stakeholders Kurt and Linda Rambis. Lakers adjunct manager Greg St. Jean joined Slovenia's unit arsenic an adjunct and spent 40 days with the squad done the tourney with games successful Slovenia, Germany, Poland and Latvia. The Lakers adjacent made their instrumentality manager disposable arsenic a assets for Slovenia, sources said, erstwhile Doncic's squad needed gear.

Doncic's tendency to play for his country, and his nationalist dedication to radically reshape his physique, showed his caller level of ownership implicit his career, after a commercialized that was retired of his control.

The Lakers knew, to beryllium their content successful and appreciation for Doncic, they needed to show commensurate investment.

And the return, they hope, volition travel not lone successful the last days of LeBron James' tenure, but widen acold past it successful the relation they privation Doncic to capable for the franchise.

AS THE LAKERS cheered him on, Doncic dominated EuroBasket.

He was named to the All-Star Five for the tournament, and averaged 34.7 points per crippled -- the astir by a subordinate successful a azygous EuroBasket since Nikos Galis averaged 35.6 points for Greece successful 1989.

Doncic recorded much points (243) than minutes played (233) and elevated his crippled successful the kno...