The Los Angeles Lakers exploded a megaton bomb on the NBA landscape when they traded Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic in February. The trade was so shocking that most people thought ESPN insider Shams Charania, who broke the news, had been hacked. Luka had his moments in his first half-season in purple and gold, but a meek first-round playoff exit confirmed that the Lakers still have a long way to go to be true title contenders.
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Luka’s first seven years in the league have been historically good, but although the stats speak for themselves, he’s always been dogged about his conditioning. If he’s this good while looking like a guy who could dominate an all-you-can-eat wings contest at the local bar, the thinking goes, imagine what he could do if he traded in a six-pack of beer for a six-pack of abs.
Luka seems to have been hitting the weight room already this offseason after Lakers head coach JJ Redick’s thinly-veiled callout following Game 5 of the Wolves series, and he’s drawn praise for his slimmer look.
Lakers legend Magic Johnson appeared on Get Up this morning, and while he was happy to see that Luka was taking Redick’s conditioning directive to heart, he also made it clear that it’s the on-court results that really matter.
.@MagicJohnson has a message for Luka Doncic
“It’s great what you did in Dallas. But the difference is, in Los Angeles, we expect championships. And we expect our superstars to lead us to a championship. LeBron has already done that. Now we want Luka to do the same thing.” pic.twitter.com/SQocwLswnw
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 12, 2025
That’s a lot of pressure to put on the new guy in town, but as one of the top players in the league, Luka should be ready to handle outsized expectations.
The Lakers’ problems extend far beyond Luka Doncic’s conditioning
Magic wants Luka to be the most recent in the long line of Lakers champions, but he didn’t put the full onus on the Slovenian superstar. He also mentioned Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka, who Magic said has to improve the roster in multiple ways.
“We need a big man, and so hopefully we’ll be able to get a big man during this offseason,” Magic said. “I think we must improve the bench as well … We gotta get faster,” he said to Jay Williams. “Right now the Lakers are too slow, and Minnesota really exposed [them].”
Magic raises a bunch of valid points. The Lakers had one of the oldest rosters in the league even after trading 32-year-old Anthony Davis for the 26-year-old Luka, and it’s not only because LeBron is the NBA’s oldest active player. Aside from that, LA was 23rd in the league in transition points per game.
The Lakers were 17th in team defensive rating. This, despite improbably having a month-long stretch where they played the best defense in the league after trading away Davis, a five-time All-Defensive Team member. As Magic said, the Wolves relentlessly hunted Luka and Austin Reaves in the playoffs, and LA had little answer for Anthony Edwards or Julius Randle.
It’s going to take an enormous collective effort for the Lakers to get back to title contention quickly. In Luka and LeBron, they have a great foundation, but LeBron only has so long left to play at such a high level. This upcoming season could be the last real chance for James to get ring number five. He’ll need a best-shape-of-his-life Luka and a seriously revamped roster around him to do it.
