Lakers’ Luka Doncic Gives Stamp of Approval to Offseason Addition

Oct 21, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Marcus Smart (36) shoots during the first half against the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers are roaring into the 2025-26 campaign with a 6-2 record.

LA captured their fourth consecutive win on Monday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, thanks to Deandre Ayton's best game as a Laker (29 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks), Rui Hachimura's most points since April 7, 2024 (28), and Nick Smith Jr. dropping 25 points (five three-pointers) and six assists off the bench despite being on a two-way contract.

Although he was inactive on Monday, superstar Luka Doncic noted another player who has been a magnificent addition to the team ahead of the game: Marcus Smart.

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“Unbelievable impact,” Doncic said. “I’ve played against this guy a lot. He was always guarding me, so I know how it feels for the other team. I’m glad he’s on my team, and the impact he has [is] unbelievable. He’s been hustling every game, every moment, every minute, every second.”

Smart dropped nine points and five assists during the victory over the Trail Blazers, but furthered Doncic's point by adding four steals. Smart is averaging 1.7 swipes per game in addition to his 9.2 points on 43.2 percent from the field.

Smart spoke on showing up not just because some of the usual scorers were out, but because it is in the DNA of his new team.

“You learn about the heart of the team,” Smart said. “We could have easily [come] in here and quit, and allow what happened to us last time when we played this team. We decided we didn’t want to do that. This team showed a lot of heart. That resilience that I’ve been talking about is starting to grow even more.”

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Smart's presence on the floor helps address a perimeter defense issue that the Lakers dealt with last season. Given his three All-Defensive team honors and a Defensive Player of the Year award after the 2021-22 campaign, the 31-year-old fits perfectly with what LA wants to build.

During Monday's game — the game that Doncic gave his glowing review after — against the Miami Heat, Smart put up 11 points, four assists, two steals, and a block.

The Lakers will now look towards Wednesday's game against the San Antonio Spurs, who are off to a red-hot 5-1 start, but are coming off the heels of losing their first game of the season to the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night.

For more news and notes on the Los Angeles Lakers, visit Los Angeles Lakers on SI.