Luka Doncic Makes Strong Claim About Lakers’ New-Look Roster

The Los Angeles Lakers are officially back to work, with the team going through media day on Monday and getting training camp started on Tuesday, kicking off what will be known as the Luka Doncic era of the storied NBA franchise.

During his time at the podium on media day, Doncic was asked several questions about the franchise's direction and his thoughts on the additions to the squad over the summer.

Luka Doncic: New Lakers Teammates Are ‘Underrated’

Along with the return of Austin Reaves on a long-term deal, whose retention was one of the team’s top priorities heading into the offseason, the Lakers' brass were extremely busy filling out the roster with several new faces, headlined by center Walker Kessler.

Although Kessler is widely regarded as one of the best two-way centers in the league, the Lakers received mixed reviews for their signings, but Doncic thinks the players the team brought in are underrated.

“I like everybody that we signed,” Doncic said of the Lakers’ signings. “I think there's a lot of underrated guys, a lot of new guys that are underrated. Like I said, I got to spend some time with them. It's off-court. Now the training camp is going to help us a lot, focus on basketball, get to know what they like on the court. But I'm very excited to play with all of them.”

It remains to be seen how things will come together for this revamped roster, but Doncic likely hit the nail on the head when he described his new teammates as “underrated,” as many of these new faces will have a lot to prove during the 2026-27 NBA season.

New-Look Lakers Embracing Underdog Mentality

Sep 28, 2026; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers player Luka Doncic (77) during media day at UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A persistent theme of Lakers media day was players seemingly embracing being overlooked by the media, fans and those who have chimed in on the team’s drastic moves to begin the post-LeBron James era in Los Angeles.

Doncic now shoulders all the pressure that comes with being the face of the Lakers franchise, and he’s excited at the prospect of taking on that responsibility and being the next superstar to lead this team to a championship.

“It's a new challenge,” Doncic said during Lakers media day. “I was in this position in my career a lot of times, so it's not new to me, but I feel great. I feel excited, and like I said, I'm ready to go. It's been a long time since I played basketball, so I'm ready.”

Along with taking on the massive task of being the new face of the Lakers, Doncic is anxious to get back on the basketball floor, and it’s hard to blame him after last season ended prematurely for the two-time NBA scoring champion.

The Lakers will play their first game on Oct. 5, getting the preseason underway against the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center.

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