No matter how much weight he sheds, the Lakers’ newest star, Luka Doncic, can’t seem to escape the conversations about his physique. It isn’t always a bad thing, though, especially when his teammate, and arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, LeBron James, is the one bringing it up.
Advertisement
Doncic was happy at the Dallas Mavericks. A year ago, at this time, he was widely seem as a Mavs lifer, their star player who had put the league on notice and was primed to be their biggest asset for years to come. Unfortunately, the Dallas Mavericks management didn’t see it that way.
Citing Doncic’s defensive liabilities and concerns about his physicality, the Mavericks traded him to the Lakers. That move seemed to light a fire in him, as Doncic worked extensively on his fitness during the offseason and dropped around 25 pounds. He now looks like a different beast. In the recently concluded EuroBasket, he averaged 34.7 ppg and was widely applauded for his game on both ends of the court. But can he sustain that form in the NBA? And will his new physique hold up over the course of a long season?
Earlier today, James joined Hall of Famer Steve Nash, and the pair discussed everybody’s fascination with “Skinny Luka.” Lebron, at first, laughed at the mention of the phrase, but concurred with Nash, who joked, “he’s a model.”
“He looks good,” LeBron added. Nash explained that being in that good a shape meant that Doncic was functionally stronger, which meant he could be more dynamic on the court.
“He doesn’t look like one these guys who are the most athletic, explosive but he moves really well for a 6″8′ dude and the less weight he has, his ability to stop on a dime, his ability to change direction at that size and skill level, it’s amazing,” Nash added, asking LeBron if he had seen that movement from the new Luka.
“Yeah, for sure. I think that movement … I watched a lot of Euro basketball this summer too. I watched this team a lot. Obviously him being my teammate and seeing how he can carry a Slovenian team to whatever heights and he did. I mean, he was right there with Germany in the semis,” Lebron said.
“He just looks, obviously a little quicker, a little bit more functional but I think more importantly, what a lot of people will not see is the recovery. When your body is in top tier shape and you feel so much better out … it’s not the actual game. It’s not like Luka’s game is going to change,” the four-time NBA champion added.
LeBron stressed that Luka is going to perform as he has always done but what he believes will change for the Slovenian star will be how he feels when he wakes up the next day after a tough game.
“You built this body up and now it’s going to be so beneficial to you and your recovery process and your energy. So, I am super duper proud of him. Obviously, he doesn’t need to hear from me … He wanted to do it for himself and that’s the only thing that matters,” LeBron noted, joking that he should also get on Doncic‘s regimen!
LeBron, of course, has always been in peak shape through out his career. Even as he embarks on his 23rd year in the NBA, the 4-time champion looks just as jacked, if not more as when he was just an 18-year-rookie straight out of high school.
