The five biggest questions still facing Luka and the Lakers - ESPN

WITH LESS THAN 30 minutes until tipoff before the Los Angeles Lakers' preseason game against the Golden State Warriors last week, Luka Doncic was the only player on the court.

While both rosters readied themselves in the locker rooms at T-Mobile Arena, Doncic — given the night off by Lakers coach JJ Redick — used every bit of the hardwood for a basket-to-basket battle against three of L.A. assistant coaches.

In an exercise designed to tap into the mix of ferociousness and joy that Redick says is the optimal emotional plane for the 27-year-old star, Doncic was not given an inch by Lakers head video coordinator Michael Wexler.

The 5-foot-11 Wexler, a gritty guard who earned a spot on the Pepperdine basketball team, was armed with a foam-covered stick to bat at the arms and prod at the body of the six-time All-Star.

Lakers player development coach Justin Robinson — standing 6-foot-9 with a sturdy frame, like his «Admiral» dad — waited for the right time to crowd Doncic with a double team.

And then there was Lakers assistant coach Greg St. Jean, who, though he was technically on Doncic's team in case he needed to pass out of the double to reset the offensive possession, occasionally broke the rules and blitzed Doncic, too.

One trip down, Doncic tried a pull-up 3. The next, he got Wexler and Robinson to bite with a hesitation dribble and blew by them for a lay-in.

On another, he planted himself at the foul line and launched the one-legged fadeaway jumper that fueled the Hall of Fame career of his former Dallas Mavericks teammate Dirk Nowitzki.

After half-a-dozen full-court possessions, Doncic caught his breath and shot 45-foot bombs from the sideline.

When he airballed one, Wexler snickered.

«It's not an easy shot, OK?»