After the Lakers lost in the opening round of the playoffs last year, Lakers head coach JJ Redick mentioned that the team needed to get into championship shape. Luka Dončić took that to heart, beginning
his offseason training the next day.
His summer workouts got him into skinny Luka shape. Then he played for Slovenia in EuroBasket and was named to the FIBA EuroBasket All-Star Five and led the competition in scoring, averaging 34.7 points per game
.But how did his conditioning impact Luka’s game?
After all, Luka is already on the shortlist of the best players in the world. Even when he had some plump to him, he put up some gaudy numbers that seem impossible to usurp, even if he lost a little weight.
Luka knows his body better than we ever could and during Lakers media day, he explained how his improved fitness has positively impacted his game.
“I would just say probably way less tired,” Luka said. “A little bit quicker. Obviously, in Europe, there’s 40-minute games. In NBA, it’s 48. But we play a lot of games in not so many days so I think fatigue is the biggest thing for me right now.”
Luka feeling way less fatigued now is a tangible example that his improved fitness is helping him on whatever court he’s playing on.
Dončić is already great, but better conditioning will allow him to maintain that level of play even late in games, which is something we’ve witnessed be an issue years prior. So much so that the Mavericks had “major concerns” over his conditioning and used it as part of the reason they made the unfathomable decision to part with the young superstar.
Now, Luka has amended the issue, and Lakers fans will see less of him struggling to run back on defense during fourth quarters, as his body is now better equipped to withstand the intense workload he is given.
It might not necessarily show up on a box score, in points or assists, but improved conditioning is helping Luka optimize his performance. And, in the end, that will allow him to play to the best of his ability, which is what everyone wants to see.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.
