JJ Redick reveals the one word that defines Luka Doncic’s season

LOS ANGELES – After their 118-116 win against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Lakers moved to 7-2 and second in the Western Conference standings so far. In the middle of the first nine games of the season, the head coach of the Lakers JJ Redick he used seven different starting compositions. However, one of the main constants of this season was a play of Luka Dončić.

Doncic didn’t have a particularly effective game against the Spurs, but he made big plays on both ends of the court to help the Lakers win without Austin Reaves in the lineup. The win was just one of several the Lakers were able to grind out this year despite coming off a deficit, and afterward, JJ Redick summed up Doncic’s game in one word.

“I would say for him (Luca) and the group, the word of the day is resiliency. I thought he showed that in the second half, playing through some issues, playing through what was quite frankly a frustratingly abnormal offensive night for him,” Redick said. “He stayed with it. I thought the focus was on the level of both referees…just focus on his teammates, and just move on to the next game.”

“Without Austin, without LeBron, his teammates are asking him to keep that determination and keep that positive attitude,” Redick continued. “And he was able to do that throughout the game, which seems to be a growth area, and I thought he was great at it.”

In the Lakers’ win against the Spurs, Luka Doncic finished one rebound short of a triple-double with 35 points, nine rebounds and 13 assists. He shot 9 of 27 from the field, 4 of 11 from the three-point line and 13 of 17 from the free throw line.

Doncic had a hot start to the seasonand generated MVP conversations in the early stages. Entering Wednesday’s game, he had appeared in four games due to multiple injury issues, logging just over 38 minutes per game. He averaged 41.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 54.5 percent from the field.

Even though the Lakers don’t have enough arms, and Doncic does a lot of the heavy lifting, this has been his season so far.

“Honestly, I feel like I really enjoy playing with these guys,” Doncic said after the win. “You know AR (Austin Reeves) can play. We still miss Bronn. This team has a lot of potential. Everyone steps up and gives maximum effort, so it’s very enjoyable to play.”