Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Greg St. Jean has confidence in the team's roster featuring Luka Doncic and LeBron James for next year.
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Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers have led NBA offseason headlines this summer, highlighted by Luka Doncic‘s contract extension and LeBron James‘ uncertain future with the team.
But as the 2025-26 season nears, a top Lakers assistant coach believes that despite the rumors and speculation, Doncic and James will lead the franchise to continued success.
“LeBron and Luka being able to spend more time together, we think, will be really positive for both of them and obviously our team,” Greg St. Jean said to BasketNews. “Our team is still improving. And the goal for us is obviously to have great depth and be able to have a lot of versatility.”
Doncic signed a three-year, $165 million contract to stay in Los Angeles until at least 2028, while James picked up his player option for next season, setting himself up for free agency in 2026. The Lakers also have Austin Reaves as a potential free agent next summer, while signing Deandre Ayton, Marcus Smart, and Jake LaRavia this offseason.
Strong Hopes For The Lakers
St. Jean joined the Lakers coaching staff last season, after spending three seasons with the team from 2019 to 2021 as a player development coach, helping the franchise win the 2020 NBA Finals. He was also with the Dallas Mavericks alongside Doncic as an assistant coach from 2021 to 2023, watching the Slovenian’s growth firsthand.
Speaking to BasketNews about the Lakers’ hopes next season, along with sharing excitement about their offseason additions, St. Jean believes their current roster is set up for success.
“We’ve had a lot of versatile players who have played in a lot of big playoff moments. And then we’ve added some young players who are hungry and excited,” St. Jean said. “So it’s more about a collection of players as opposed to any individual additions. But we’ve done a great job and we’re excited about our new guys.”
The signings of Ayton, Smart, and LaRavia got mixed reactions from analysts and fans. While Ayton comes in as their most notable addition, projected to play starting center, his presenceis expected to elevate the team’s defensive potential. After the Anthony Davis trade, Los Angeles was without a big man they had confidence in, now hoping to slide Ayton into that role.
“We did a good job with our defense, and we’ll continue to build that this year,” St. Jean added on the Lakers’ defense after losing Davis. “We had to evolve and make some changes as the season went on, as the personnel changed.”
A Full Season Of Luka Doncic
Though it was one of the biggest trades in NBA history, Doncic’s arrival in Los Angeles didn’t necessarily bring the team increased success right off the bat. He still averaged MVP-level numbers in his 28 regular-season games with the Lakers, but having him for a full offseason gives hope to St. Jean.
“The idea of Luka having an opportunity to play in training camp with us is going to be critical, and getting this team to build their chemistry and work together,” he said on Doncic. “This season, we’re poised and excited to have a training camp together.”
Along with his contract extension, Doncic’s summer hasbeenhighlighted by his weight loss, revealed on the cover of Men’s Health magazine. He credited both having more time in the offseason and a changed outlook on his body and performance as thebiggest factors for the transformation.
Now with Doncic 2.0, St. Jean feels strongly that, even with his top-tier play in the regular season and playoffs, having an under-contract Doncic from the start of training camp will prove beneficial for the Lakers’ title hopes next season.
He also mentioned that Doncic being able to spend more time with James is an optimistic sign. However, James made headlines for not missing out on Doncic’s press conference confirming his contract extension. Doncic is also currently playing in EuroBasket while James is back in the United States, meaning the duo has yet to share many offseason moments so far this summer.
Doncic recently suffered a knee contusion playing for his native Slovenia in a EuroBasket warm-up game. He expects to return to practice and games after taking a few days to recover.