According to Tim MacMahon, Luka came into the season weighing 260 pounds while Zion weighed 330 pounds

[Lockdown504090]

Speaking of Shaq he has lost a ton of weight and has ripped abs believe it or not. His sister and Kobe passing away really motivated him to take better care of himself.

Yup, imagine if he looked like this during his post Heat years at least? he could have prolonged his dominance.

Dude Shaq is 50. The left is great shape for 50, the right is astounding.

shaq at 400 dominated the league, kendrick perkins, while working for espn as a commentator now, said hes pushing 400 and needs to lose weight. Imagine if he was in shape against the pistons.

[dhsilv2]

Giannis is 242lbs.
How th did Zion let himself go as far as 330?
That's the competition at your position dude.

KD is also 242lbs.
Even with serious injury he didn't let himself go.
It's rather disappointing for Luka to be 260 when he didn't deal with any injuries and stuff like this.

Both will be having a microscope on them going forward.

You're talking about two guys who have had to work HARD to gain weight. They just got an advantage there.

[sisibilio]

Giannis is 242lbs.
How th did Zion let himself go as far as 330?
That's the competition at your position dude.

KD is also 242lbs.
Even with serious injury he didn't let himself go.
It's rather disappointing for Luka to be 260 when he didn't deal with any injuries and stuff like this.

Both will be having a microscope on them going forward.

KD wouldn't gain 30 lbs even you offered 100 million to do so, different physiology.

[sisibilio]

Yup, imagine if he looked like this during his post Heat years at least? he could have prolonged his dominance.

Dude Shaq is 50. The left is great shape for 50, the right is astounding.

No homo but, seriously, no homo, i mean it. Holy molly

[Johnny Bball]

Holy molly

fix the first 6 words in your posts or youre going to hear its not acceptable.

[KingDavid]

Giannis is 242lbs.
How th did Zion let himself go as far as 330?
That's the competition at your position dude.

KD is also 242lbs.
Even with serious injury he didn't let himself go.
It's rather disappointing for Luka to be 260 when he didn't deal with any injuries and stuff like this.

Both will be having a microscope on them going forward.

KD wouldn't gain 30 lbs even you offered 100 million to do so, different physiology.

You're essentially saying Kevin Durant is beyond the law of physics.

Muscle building is one thing, definite genetic limitations there. Would need a crazy amount of steroid cycles, a few years of training detrimental to basketball skills to build anything more on that toothpick. But trust me, if he wanted to, KD can get fat like anyone else that eats at a caloric surplus and gain 30lbs.

[og15]

In Luka's case I don't get what the big deal about playing your way into shape throughout the season is. It's better to be peaking when the playoffs start anyway.

Why do you need to play your way into shape in order to peak when the playoffs start? You're talking about things that are mutually exclusive. It's not one or the other. Coming into the season in shape or not overweight doesn't mean you will peak at the beginning of the season.

Being out of shape can increase injury risk, whether that materializes or not, the risk is higher. Missing games due to injury can mean worse W/L record. Worse W/L record will mean tougher early playoff matchups and your team likely being out early.

Grinding for 12 months out of the year can be mentally and physically draining. It’s better to take a month or two off to blow off some steam so that you are recharged. Plenty of guys have gotten injuries from wear and tear joints and ligaments because they pushed too hard without taking a break.

I'm a big proponent of rest and taking time off, so I have no disagreement there. I wasn't saying he should have been doing things that stress his body.

Even without any special resources, without it being part of my job, I can keep my weight in check when my activity level goes down, and so can many other people whose whole job isn't athletics and have full time jobs, kids, can't hire people to cook for them, can't get to a pool whenever they need and to non stressful activities. There's also no issue with even adding a little weight, but when you start adding too much, it doesn't just happen, and he has the resources to do things to keep it off....if he wanted to.

Now, he doesn't have to want to, he'll still be very good regardless, so I'm not suggesting he has to want to do this, but the idea that either he has to come in out of shape to peak later or that he would need to be playing basketball year round to stay in shape or close enough to good shape isn't reality.

[dirkdiggler4177]

Yeah, clear evidence he takes his conditioining seriously weighing in at 260lbs+. Real hard worker.

I know first hand he doesnt take his conditioning seriously, he doesnt want to lift weights, doesnt want to do anything without the ball. Thats why he is too heavy and looks like a dumpling.

Think what you want, I am just giving you the facts.

Never said he takes his conditioning seriously. I said he got where is at with hard work and that it is not a big deal because he is young and has clearly worked hard to get where he is at. He won't have a problem becoming much better. He plays great now, and when he does take off his body he will just become better.

Physical fitness is about motivation, discipline and hard work. Every single person Lukas age can get in good shape. The fact that he does not shows his unprofessionalism and lack of discipline/laziness. He is where he is because he is immensely talented for basketball (probably the most talented player in the NBA right now in pure basketball sense, top 3 certainly). He works at it but he will never be accused of being the hardest worker on his team. In fact people around him say he is not taking basketball seriously enough. But please, tell me you know more than his coaches, his childhood friends and guys he plays with for national team.

Yes, I agree. He does not take it as seriously as he should, but he has gotten this far without taking it seriously. How did that happen?

[dirkdiggler4177]

Yeah, clear evidence he takes his conditioining seriously weighing in at 260lbs+. Real hard worker.

I know first hand he doesnt take his conditioning seriously, he doesnt want to lift weights, doesnt want to do anything without the ball. Thats why he is too heavy and looks like a dumpling.

Think what you want, I am just giving you the facts.

Never said he takes his conditioning seriously. I said he got where is at with hard work and that it is not a big deal because he is young and has clearly worked hard to get where he is at. He won't have a problem becoming much better. He plays great now, and when he does take off his body he will just become better.

Guys who struggle with weight issues at 22 seriously struggle with it by their late 20's. This is a terrible sign for him. He's just making his job that much harder.

If Jokic can do it, then Luka can too.

[dhsilv2]

Never said he takes his conditioning seriously. I said he got where is at with hard work and that it is not a big deal because he is young and has clearly worked hard to get where he is at. He won't have a problem becoming much better. He plays great now, and when he does take off his body he will just become better.

Guys who struggle with weight issues at 22 seriously struggle with it by their late 20's. This is a terrible sign for him. He's just making his job that much harder.

If Jokic can do it, then Luka can too.

Luka was downing insane amounts of soda, at least we KNOW he was comically consuming. Not sure the story on Luka yet, so no we can't make that assessment yet. And I think we're all STILL worried about Jokic's weight long term.

[XTraderXL]

Never said he takes his conditioning seriously. I said he got where is at with hard work and that it is not a big deal because he is young and has clearly worked hard to get where he is at. He won't have a problem becoming much better. He plays great now, and when he does take off his body he will just become better.

Physical fitness is about motivation, discipline and hard work. Every single person Lukas age can get in good shape. The fact that he does not shows his unprofessionalism and lack of discipline/laziness. He is where he is because he is immensely talented for basketball (probably the most talented player in the NBA right now in pure basketball sense, top 3 certainly). He works at it but he will never be accused of being the hardest worker on his team. In fact people around him say he is not taking basketball seriously enough. But please, tell me you know more than his coaches, his childhood friends and guys he plays with for national team.

Yes, I agree. He does not take it as seriously as he should, but he has gotten this far without taking it seriously. How did that happen?

I think you are misinterpreting my lazy comment. By saying he is lazy I meant compared to other top players. I will say it again. Luka is one of the most talented players to ever play the game. He worked/works at it but most of his success comes from his talent. Of course we are comparing his work ethic relative to other top players.

Let me put it this way. If he had the basketball talent of an average NBA player and the same work ethic as he has now, he wouldnt be playing in the league. Not even close.

[atlantabbq99]

The rumor is that Zion is overwieght and has a really bad relationship with the New Orleans front office and David Griffin.

I very sure Zion can get back into shape very easily, the tension with the front office should be the Pelicans' fans' biggest concern.

[dirkdiggler4177]

Physical fitness is about motivation, discipline and hard work. Every single person Lukas age can get in good shape. The fact that he does not shows his unprofessionalism and lack of discipline/laziness. He is where he is because he is immensely talented for basketball (probably the most talented player in the NBA right now in pure basketball sense, top 3 certainly). He works at it but he will never be accused of being the hardest worker on his team. In fact people around him say he is not taking basketball seriously enough. But please, tell me you know more than his coaches, his childhood friends and guys he plays with for national team.

Yes, I agree. He does not take it as seriously as he should, but he has gotten this far without taking it seriously. How did that happen?

I think you are misinterpreting my lazy comment. By saying he is lazy I meant compared to other top players. I will say it again. Luka is one of the most talented players to ever play the game. He worked/works at it but most of his success comes from his talent. Of course we are comparing his work ethic relative to other top players.

Let me put it this way. If he had the basketball talent of an average NBA player and the same work ethic as he has now, he wouldnt be playing in the league. Not even close.

But how did he become this talented? You can say he is a natural talent, but how do you measure that? How can you say this guy got the genes and natural talent, while this player just worked himself into the NBA. Considering, he is the slowest and least athletic guy in the NBA. He got a lot of strength though, but I guess it is natural strength.

[Maxthirty]

The rumor is that Zion is overwieght and has a really bad relationship with the New Orleans front office and David Griffin.

I very sure Zion can get back into shape very easily, the tension with the front office should be the Pelicans' fans' biggest concern.

The guy has had weight issues for years. I guarantee it’s not going to be easy. Either way, purposely getting even more overweight is not a good look for Zion. Literally and figuratively.

[XTraderXL]

Yes, I agree. He does not take it as seriously as he should, but he has gotten this far without taking it seriously. How did that happen?

I think you are misinterpreting my lazy comment. By saying he is lazy I meant compared to other top players. I will say it again. Luka is one of the most talented players to ever play the game. He worked/works at it but most of his success comes from his talent. Of course we are comparing his work ethic relative to other top players.

Let me put it this way. If he had the basketball talent of an average NBA player and the same work ethic as he has now, he wouldnt be playing in the league. Not even close.

But how did he become this talented? You can say he is a natural talent, but how do you measure that? How can you say this guy got the genes and natural talent, while this player just worked himself into the NBA. Considering, he is the slowest and least athletic guy in the NBA. He got a lot of strength though, but I guess it is natural strength.

What do you mean how he became this talented? He was born with it, thats how talent works Then it depends of how much talent one has and how much they work to maximize their talent. His physical talent (apart from strength) doesnt match his basketball talent so he needs to work at it much more. He has the same body type as his father, a 6ft8 tank but not quick or explosive with a tendency to put on a lot of weight quickly.

There is no objective way to measure talent but you can see it right away with certain people. Its not hard to spot because ultra talented people like Luka are extremely rare and stand out immediately when they do something for the first time. I watched Jokic at the U19 World Cup in Prague in 2013 live (Aaron Gordon was playing for the US) where Serbia won silver and even though he looked like he never did a push up in his life, you could see he is on a different level in his understanding of the game than everyone else at that tournament.

I have been saying since before Luka got to the NBA that if he can maximize his fitness, he will be the best player in the league and multiple MVP winner. If not, he will be a 15x all-star player. And thats exactly what is happening right now. I was hoping he will take his fitness seriously but so far it hasnt happened yet.

Also, I played against Dragic many times before he went to the NBA. He was 16 when I first saw him play and thought he was talented but didnt expect him to be the player that he became. He is a player with average talent who became an above average player by outworking his peers.

[TRik]

More disappointed in Luka. Zion was a write off when news came out that the Pels were needing to teach him how to walk and run.

[Cavsfansince84]

The rumor is that Zion is overwieght and has a really bad relationship with the New Orleans front office and David Griffin.

I very sure Zion can get back into shape very easily, the tension with the front office should be the Pelicans' fans' biggest concern.

So you think he could get back into shape very easily but is choosing to sabotage his own body and career to get back at the NO front office? Sorry dude but that makes almost zero sense to me. He may be unhappy with them but I think that has very little to do with his weight problems. It's a combination of him having self control issues, keeping his mom as his primary cook and injuries which give him an excuse not to exercise. Plus having a naturally thick body type.

[CobraCommander]

Speaking of Shaq he has lost a ton of weight and has ripped abs believe it or not. His sister and Kobe passing away really motivated him to take better care of himself.

Yup, imagine if he looked like this during his post Heat years at least? he could have prolonged his dominance.

Damn, I wouldn't be surprised if Shaq could give a contender 15 solid minutes per game in that shape.

Shaq is not a human...that’s a different species than the rest of humanity and was created in a lab and if he had Kobe’s work ethic he would have won even more...

[magee]

They both need to add ballet barre workouts into their regimens.

[DreamTeam09]

Zion looks to be in great shape, lol look at as lol you prognosticators out there who believe they know it all.

Weak sauce on a lot t of y'all parts