Lakers' Preseason Yo-Yo Is Noise — Doncic's New Role Is the Signal

If you watched the Lakers beat the Kings on Monday and then get run off the floor by the Warriors on Tuesday, resist the urge to draw conclusions. LA rested Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler, Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle and Collin Sexton against Golden State — six rotation pieces, including the guy your whole fantasy build runs through. A 24-hour swing from world-beaters to doormats is exactly what preseason looks like when availability changes nightly.

The game that matters is the Kings one, and specifically the first-half stretch when Doncic actually played. That's where the vision showed up: 94 feet of full-court pressure, with Williams, Thybulle, Quentin Grimes, Jake LaRavia and Adou Thiero rotating through and generating deflections, steals and forced turnovers. Doncic said the defensive energy from Thybulle and Williams early was contagious and even called it inspirational. For a team that ranked near the bottom defensively last year, that's the real headline.

The Scheme Shift That Moves the Needle

Here's the fantasy-relevant wrinkle. Coach JJ Redick is tweaking how the offense gets going — Doncic will operate off the ball more to start possessions, then curl off teammate screens to attack, weaponizing his gravity. That sounds like it could cap his assist numbers, but it's more likely a usage redistribution that keeps the ball in his hands at the decision points while getting easier looks for everyone else. Reaves remains the clear No. 2 engine once he's back in the lineup.

Kessler's absence is worth flagging. The 7-foot-2 center LA traded for from Utah didn't play either exhibition, and the lack of rim protection was obvious against both opponents. When he's healthy, he's the backline anchor that makes the aggressive perimeter scheme viable. Monitor his status, because a Kessler-less Lakers defense looks a lot more like last year's version.

The fantasy read: nothing here changes the core values. Reaves put up 23.3 points and 38.7 fantasy points per game across 51 games in 2025-26 (actual), good for our No. 39 overall rank and No. 19 among guards — the off-ball Doncic look doesn't threaten his touches, so hold him at his draft slot. Collin Sexton is the sneaky name, riding a hot stretch (+9.9 fantasy points over his last five games in 2025-26) and sitting at No. 146 overall; he's a solid late-round guard with upside if the pace spikes. Don't overreact to the Warriors blowout — it was a glorified scrimmage with half the roster in street clothes.