James and three others will miss the game against the Suns! Reddick reveals intense training details, Doncic sums up his feelings in three words

On October 3rd Beijing time, the Lakers' training camp proceeded with head coach Reddick mentioning that the team is still assessing the roster for the preseason debut. However, it has been confirmed that James (hip issue), Smart (Achilles inflammation), Kleber (thigh issue), and Thiero (knee issue) will all be absent from the Saturday preseason game against the Suns. Reddick also revealed that after evaluation, Kleber’s thigh injury requires him to rest for “a few days.”

Regarding the plan for the preseason opener against the Suns, Reddick said, “We will try to have players perform in ‘short bursts of intensity.’” He added that he will “monitor” the playing time of Reeves and Doncic—Reeves has had the heaviest training load in camp, while Doncic has just finished playing in the European Championship.

Talking about today’s training, Reddick said that at the end of practice, the whole team did a series of full-court sprints: first 6 full-court trips in 34 seconds, then 10 full-court trips in 1 minute, and finally finished with 6 full-court trips in 34 seconds. Reddick joked, “I don’t know if they like me now.”

Since the offseason began, head coach Reddick’s goal has been to get the Lakers into top “championship-level physical condition.” This objective has continued into training camp, with a consistent focus on building endurance. Vincent said, “I told Reddick... if we all ‘hate’ you because of this training, but that hate is unanimous across the team, then it’s actually a good thing.”

Speaking about Reddick’s “championship-level condition” requirements for the Lakers, Doncic said, “It’s not just about physical condition, but also mental state.” When a reporter asked Doncic to summarize his feelings about the first three days of training camp in three words, he replied: “Fun, Excitement, Hard.”

When asked what “success in the preseason” means to him, Doncic answered, “Honestly, I don’t know the answer to that. This is the first time someone has asked me this.”

Additionally, over the past two seasons, Vanderbilt has been plagued by injuries, but before that, he was a “game-changer” on the defensive end for the team. Reddick believes the Lakers might be able to see Vanderbilt return to his pre-injury form.

“It seems like we are indeed seeing a healthy version of Vandy,” Reddick said. “I talked with him a lot this summer, such as about the tough situation he faced after being traded to the team—at that time, the team had no other options, so he had to play the five spot (center). The team was forced to run a small lineup, so he either came off the bench as a center or played another fixed role; those were the only two choices back then. So I think having him back on the perimeter, combined with his current physical condition—his athleticism and agility are both well maintained—will be a big help to our team.”