Luka Doncic, Lakers
Getty
Luka Doncic of Slovenia reacts during the international basketball friendly match between Slovenia and Germany.
Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Greg St. Jean is exploring basketball strategies that he’s never seen in the NBA while working alongside Luka Dončić and the Slovenian national team, aiming to bring innovative ideas back home.
St. Jean, observing Dončić during the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket, described his collaboration with Slovenian head coach Aleksandar Sekulic as an opportunity to study tactics that could give the Lakers a competitive edge next season.
NBA Innovation on the Horizon
“There’s a lot of stuff that we’re watching and seeing,” St. Jean told BasketNews. “Obviously, Luka is someone who’s growing and evolving. He’s getting better every single day. But there are things that we see in the tournament, whether it’s an opponent doing it or we’re doing it, that I’ll sit there and I’ll take my notes and say, ‘Hey, that’s something that would be great for us to try with the Lakers. Or that’s something I haven’t seen in the NBA.’”
St. Jean emphasized that many of the European basketball strategies are unfamiliar to most NBA teams, offering the potential for creative offensive and defensive schemes.
“There’s a lot of really good players and really good coaches over here. So, I’m just trying to learn as much as possible,” he said.
Luka’s Historic EuroBasket Run
The Lakers have heavily invested in Dončić, who recently signed a three-year, $165 million extension to become the face of the franchise. Top executives, including team governor Jeanie Buss and president Rob Pelinka, traveled to Europe to fully support Dončić’s participation in EuroBasket.
Dončić has been rewriting the EuroBasket record books. He leads the tournament in scoring with 31.3 points per game and ranks second in assists (8.3) behind Lithuania’s Rokas Jokubaitis (8.5). He recently became the first player in EuroBasket history to record 30 or more points, five or more assists, and five or more steals in a single game. His historic run also featured the most free throws made (19 against France) in a single EuroBasket game and the only fifth triple-double performance (against Belgium) in the tournament’s history, solidifying his dominance on the continental stage.
Learning From a Proven System
Luka Doncic , Lakers
Getty Luka Doncic of Slovenia and Aleksander Sekulic, head coach of Slovenia react from the sidelines.
St. Jean credited Sekulic for his successful system that brought Slovenia to the bronze medal game in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and the strong relationship he has built with Dončić.
“Coach Sekulic is a fantastic coach, and obviously, he has a great system and has had a lot of success here with the national team. He’s coached Luka and known him for a long time,” St. Jean said. “We had a relationship prior, in 2022, so we’ve talked a little bit about some different ways to utilize Luka. And we’ve tried to all come together and put our basketball brains together to try to set our team up for success. And we’ve used a few things from the Lakers. Obviously, there’s been some stuff that we’ve used from his book. It’s been a great partnership.”
Translating International Concepts
One challenge, St. Jean said, is translating international strategies into the NBA context.
“It’s important to have some familiar faces around and people who can help to have a seamless transition,” he said. “You know, it’s easy to relate and create some — we use the word ‘translation’ when it comes to language, but there’s also translation when it comes to terminology and some different things like that. So, it’s been beneficial for me.”
He added that some of the tactics being implemented overseas could provide “NBA-first” advantages for the Lakers, offering new wrinkles on both ends of the floor.
“Maybe [Sekulic] might say different if you ask him, who knows,” St. Jean said. “But it’s been really good, and we feel like it’s been a positive partnership thus far.”
Luka’s Preparation for the NBA Season
St. Jean praised Dončić’s dedication and offseason transformation, including shedding 31 pounds, according to Slovenia’s Pop TV.
“We’re really excited. I mean, he worked really, really hard,” the Lakers assistant coach said. “Obviously, we’re extremely proud of him. He’s had a fantastic summer, and this is just a step in the right direction. But I know he’s excited. We’re excited for the season, but we have business to attend to right now here.”
St. Jean’s work overseas underscores the Lakers’ growing focus on integrating innovative international strategies into their NBA playbook, potentially giving them a blueprint for how to best utilize Dončić for the 2025-26 season.