A lot changed for Luka Doncic when the Dallas Mavericks traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers, but there was still one very familiar face around him. Maxi Kleber had been his teammate throughout his time with the Mavericks, and he, too, came to the Lakers as part of the trade. This will be the eighth season that they play together, and Kleber was asked what to expect from Doncic in 2025-26 after practice on Friday.
“Played with him a long time,” Kleber said, via Dave McMenamin. “It’s a lot of fun. You’re going to see a lot of Luka Magic. A lot of crazy passes, crazy shot-making. It’s just what he does. And as a teammate, you always got to stay ready because the ball can find you any time.”
We did get to see some Luka Magic in the Lakers’ final preseason game against the Sacramento Kings at Crypto.com Arena on Friday. The five-time All-Star put up 31 points (8-16 FG), five rebounds, nine assists, one steal, and one block in a 117-116 loss.
Doncic remains a near-unstoppable force on the court, as he was during his time with the Mavericks. There is reason to believe the 26-year-old could be even better as a Laker.
Doncic changed his diet and training methods this summer in order to get in the best shape that he has been in for years. He has slimmed down and has looked great when he has stepped out onto the court.
Lakers fans were thrilled by what they saw from Doncic at EuroBasket 2025 in the summer. He put up 34.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 2.7 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for Slovenia and was named to the tournament’s All-Star Five.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick believes Doncic can win MVP if the team wins at a high level, and he certainly could. He finished third in MVP voting in 2024, and you wouldn’t put it past him to win in 2026.
As for Kleber, well, there are no such expectations of him. The German made his preseason debut for the Lakers against the Kings and finished with two rebounds.
Kleber had suffered a quad injury during training camp that had put him out of action for a couple of weeks. He had also missed much of last season after undergoing surgery on his right foot, only making his Lakers debut in Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 playoffs.
So, this was just the second time that Kleber had suited up for the Lakers. It will be interesting to see how big a role the 33-year-old plays for this team. Kleber is a solid outside shooter who can defend, but playing time still might be hard to come by.
Getting back to this game against the Kings, the loss meant the Lakers finished their preseason 1-5. While the record isn’t an indicator of how good a team will be, there are certainly some issues that need to be fixed. Redick was not happy with the defense in the first half against the Kings, and that is definitely an area they need to improve in.
