If Slovenia is to have any chance to make some noise in the upcoming EuroBasket tournament, Luka Doncic is going to need to be in peak form. The newly-extended Lakers superstar has had a busy summer, from debuting a sleeker new look on the cover of Men’s Health, to committing to the Lakers on a three-year $165 million deal, to purchasing a $2.2 million Croatian hypercar.
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Lakers fans are hoping that the new face of their franchise will lead them back to the promised land, but before that, they’ll first get to see him represent his country in the 42nd edition of EuroBasket.
Team Slovenia has had two warmup games under its belt, but it’s clear that it’s not yet where it needs to be. Slovenia played a home-and-home with defending FIBA World Cup winner Germany this past weekend, and they came up short in both, first with a 103-89 loss in Ljubljana, then with a 80-70 loss in Mannheim.
First Take has had many a debate about Luka’s fitness level, but he’s seemed serious this summer about getting himself into the best possible shape for the first time in his career. Slovenia head coach Aleksandar Sekulic spoke highly of the work Luka has put in, but told Meridian Sport that there’s still a ways to go.
“Luka has changed the way he works, but whether he’s in better shape or not, we’ll see,” Sekulic said. “He can’t be at his peak right now. He’s only just started basketball-specific training. He’s not yet the real Doncic and we all know what that looks like on the court.”
Luka played in the first game against Germany on Friday, putting up a modest line of 19 points and 5 rebounds. He didn’t play on Sunday, but is expected to be on the court when Slovenia takes on Lithuania on Friday.
Slovenia also has warmup games scheduled against Latvia, Great Britain and Serbia before opening group EuroBasket play against Poland on Thursday, August 28. That final warmup against Serbia and Nikola Jokic will be a great litmus test for where Luka and his team stand. In the eyes of Sekulic, it’ll also be a clash between the the game’s preeminent players.
“For me, Doncic and Jokic are the best in the world,” Sekulic said, before declaring that the 2024 Paris Olympic bronze medalists should be favored to win the tournament. “In terms of their roster, impressive, incredible. They have a coach who’s been there for years, very experienced, excellent, with results to show for it. Serbia has everything needed to win gold.”
Serbia is the No. 2-ranked team in the world behind the United States, but it hasn’t won EuroBasket since it was part of the former Yugoslavia in 1997. The Serbs lost to Slovenia in the finals in 2017 thanks in large part to the performance of an 18-year-old Luka, who was named to the All-Tournament Team.
That Serbia team didn’t have Jokic, as he opted instead to work out in preparation for the NBA season. With the three-time MVP, they’ll be much more dangerous.
Luka’s new physique already has the hype train rolling ahead of the NBA season, but if he can lead Slovenia to a medal, he could become the early frontrunner for MVP.
Fans can watch EuroBasket through the Courtside 1891 app, or through a subscription on DAZN.
