National pride factors into the motivation of basketball players one way or another, but European basketball players take it to another level. 

It’s common to see NBA players from Africa, the Americas, and Asia beg off from national team commitments, but you likely won’t see that with the European NBA players. To them, it’s like enlisting in the army and with the way they play, it’s clear that it’s a brotherhood, so much so that the wear and tear means nothing if you’re in the trenches with your brothers. 

Luka Doncic has been playing with the Slovenian national team for more than a decade, dominating the junior ranks, helping Slovenia clinch the EuroBasket 2017 title, and settling in as a dominant force at the international stage. 

Doncic obviously enjoys playing for his country that the Los Angeles Lakers are allowing him to do so, even if it means he won’t have much time to recover before his first full season with the team. However, it’s not without its risks. 

Laker Nation breathed a sigh of relief when Doncic returned to the bench and sat out the rest of the way. Prior to that, the 26-year old was playing well, to the point that Slovenians were both excited and nervous about his status for Slovenia’s EuroBasket 2025 opener against Poland. 

The Lakers are not so much concerned with Slovenia’s performance in EuroBasket 2025 as they are with Doncic’s fitness and performance. A trophy will be a welcome bonus, especially if it allows him to enter training camp with a renewed focus. His offseason workouts have been well-documented, but Los Angeles would prefer he be both fit and well-rested come October. However, the Lakers should hope that Doncic returns to Los Angeles with a ton of motivation, not just from everything that Nico Harrison did to him but also because of his summer run with Slovenia. 

In 28 games with the Lakers, Doncic was good, but clearly could have been better. With not much time to adjust and him dealing with some nagging injuries, it was obvious that the five-time All-NBA First Team selection was learning on the fly and thriving on talent. 

This offseason was not just about him getting healthy, though, as Los Angeles also beefed up its roster to cater to Doncic’s skillset. Signing Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, Jake LaRavia, and drafting Adou Thiero were all in line with providing him with capable options at the wing and in the paint. More importantly, they can defend and allow Doncic not to be left too vulnerable on defense. 

At the end of the day, however, all of the offseason work will be for naught if Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers fall short of their lofty expectations. To be fair to them, there are a ton of variables that still remain beyond their control, but there are still some areas they can manage and it all begins with a proper offseason where nothing is left to waste.