There is a fundamental misunderstanding about offseason preparation. Players unfairly get criticized for doing anything outside of basketball over the summer, and fans use empty gym shooting clips and other out-of-context “proof” to claim that their favorite athlete is gearing up for a breakout season. Few players have experienced this like Luka Doncic, who, despite his streak of All-NBA first teams, is still getting think pieces about his weight.
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While people may blame this recurring conversation on Nico Harrison’s comments on Doncic’s conditioning after the infamous Lakers trade, these arguments have been going on for years. Skinny Luka offseason photos are about as common as Ben Simmons shooting videos.
Former NBA star Paul Pierce has had enough of these ridiculous ideas, however. The Boston Celtics legend laid out the insanity of these recurring discussions on Fox Sports Network’s SPEAK.
When asked if he was excited to see a “slimmed down Luka,” Pierce responded with, “I don’t know, Joy [Taylor]. The guy averages 30, 8, and 8, and y’all are talking about his weight. Let’s talk about his mentality on defense because I figure that’s the issue.”
Pierce asserts that if Luka has played at a high weight in the past and been as productive as he has been, there is no reason to worry about changing his body in that way. He has a point. Luka’s teammate LeBron James had multiple all-time seasons while playing at a weight of 290 in a Miami Heat jersey.
“Defense is a mentality thing. Rebounding and the effort stuff is hustle mentality. It has nothing to do with his weight,” Pierce insisted, “because as far as his production, he’s one of the most productive players ever. He’s been first team All-NBA every single year!”
An exasperated Pierce remained confused. As the segment continued, he simply sat back and watched the rest of the table debate the frivolity of equating an elite body build with excellent defense. While many have soured on Doncic, echoing Harrison’s points following the trade fallout, it remains important to remember that Luka is a consensus top-five player.
It does fall on Luka to make strides as a defender, though. While the Dallas Mavericks surrounded him with players who could take pressure off him on that side of the floor, the Lakers have different roster-building constraints that will need him to improve. Any failure to do so would cap the team’s — and Luka’s — potential as contenders going forward.
