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Or will he stay stocky and plateau as a guy who can dominate when hes on the floor but will be in street clothes 20-30 times a year from nagging injuries (due to poor conditioning)

yes he will improve his conditioning.
no he probably won't ever be a serious GOAT contender---that's an insanely high bar.

Well, he was at Rakija lounge in Miami yesterday drinking and smoking hookah, so who knows

Jokes aside, if he comes into next season in shape, I'm throwing down money on him for MVP. Similar to Jokic finally coming into season in shape last year rather than playing himself into it during the season.

It's way too early to tell, it will depend on how many MVPs and championships he can win. I guess we can talk about the MVP first, that's a more realistic short-term goal, if he comes in shape next year, he can potentially nab that first, then we'll see. Getting out of the first round is due as well, but the Mavs will probably be the heavy underdog this year too, so that would require something special from him, probably.

Texas Chuck wrote:yes he will improve his conditioning.
no he probably won't ever be a serious GOAT contender---that's an insanely high bar.

Yeah, I dislike when that term is used for any 22yo. It can only do that player a disservice.

He has to improve his conditioning, but also become a consistent shooter to get in the top 20 conversation. His FT% is disappointing every year and his 3pt shooting goes from bad to incredible, so I'm still waiting for him to be at 38% for a whole year.

I'm just hoping he learned a big lesson about taking care of his body this year.

He's currently not on a GOAT trajectory and honestly he's not on a top 10 trajectory either. Now in his 4th season he is looking like a guy who will be among the elite of the league for a long time and likely end up top 30 or even top 20 if he has strong longevity but entering the GOAT debate requires multiple MVPs, multiple rings and at least a decade of domination of the league.

Texas Chuck wrote:yes he will improve his conditioning.
no he probably won't ever be a serious GOAT contender---that's an insanely high bar.

Other than LeBron who has had a better first four years in the three point era? I think it is an insanely high bar, but he's also worthy of being talked about that way, IMO. I still can't believe he did not go first, I thought he was the best prospect since LeBron and it was just obvious

luka has top 10 all-time potential, but i dont think he has goat potential and thats okay, not everyone can have one

if he had athleticism, then hed have goat potential or at least thats what i think

He has at least 3 areas he could get significantly better in:
FT%
3PT%
(both of which will increase his scoring)
Conditioning

Not sure he can get to GOAT level discussion, but I think he is capable of at least an MVP.

I don't think Dallas will ever be good enough to win a title, as I just don't see them being able to put a good enough team around him. Not progressing in the playoffs will have an affect on MVP chances too, so I can't see multiple MVP's in his future. Could be wrong of course.

Maybe he will push his way out of Dallas. I can def see that happening.

babyjax13 wrote:

Texas Chuck wrote:yes he will improve his conditioning.
no he probably won't ever be a serious GOAT contender---that's an insanely high bar.

Other than LeBron who has had a better first four years in the three point era? I think it is an insanely high bar, but he's also worthy of being talked about that way, IMO. I still can't believe he did not go first, I thought he was the best prospect since LeBron and it was just obvious

I agree with this entirely.

He's had a historically good start to his career and there is very, very clearly one thing holding him back. And that's the one thing so very much within Lukas control.

If he truly wants to be the best he can and works on his conditioning then he seriously has GOAT potential.

Voted yes because I hope Luka improves his conditioning and makes it his mission to become a GOAT contender. He needs to set a high bar for himself, while having fun on the court.

I don't think he can win much if he stays in Dallas though. This is season #4 and their FO has gone backwards with the roster rather than forwards. Hard to win or have fun on the court when you're carrying a permanent load. The competition is building super-teams with trios of superstars and with quality depth too... while their FO is bringing in Dinwiddie and Bertans... and fans are wanting to make 6'0" Jalen Brunson the 2nd option, giving him $20m dollars of the cap-space... and others are discussing trades for peeps like Nerlens Noel, or giving up more of their 1st round picks for middling talent. It's maddening to me, as a Luka fan who wants to see him become Top-10 All Time.

He needs to join the Lakers ASAP.

No he's gonna be that guy who has to "play this way into shape" every year.

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While people talk about an incredibly high bar...
I mean of course it is much more likely than not that he will not become the greatest of all time. That there even is a possibility for him to get there is an incredible achievement.
I just watch him develop and hope for longevity and everything else will be sorted out by itself.

What if say Jokic joins him in 2 years and they start a dynasty and win 3 or 4 chips? He ll be 28 after that with enough time to win 2 more to get in serious contention for the best of all time.

Also while the Mavericks only have one championship, Dallas is a great sports city and has the potential to become a great basketball city.

To be a GOAT contender you need accolades, he doesn't have them right now, right now he's not top 3 player in the league, Jokic and Giannis are clearly better, and KD is absent too much, but when he plays I think he's easily considered better.
He doesn't look only thicker than his 1st 2 years, but he also looks wider, I don't think he's going to go back to being a guard, he's just forward who runs the point, like LBJ, only with a different game.

A well conditioned Luka is a pretty scary thought. I think a well conditioned Luka is right there with the top 3 guys in the league (Giannis, Jokic, Embiid). And if we are being honest, the level of those 3 currently is a all the great level of play. Maybe not GOAT level, but definitely up there.

Really the question for those 3 is just, how long can they keep this peak up and what kind of playoff success can they have.

So ya say this is the last year Luka comes in out of shape and from here on out he's in top tier conditioning (we saw Jokic make this switch last year). That will make Luka 23 years old with most likely 3 all stars and 3 All NBAs.

So ya the next question would be how long is his peak and how much playoff success he has. But ya I think a top tier conditioned Luka is a top tier MVP candidate for sure. And he's definitely not lacking in the individual stat or award category to start his career.

The better question would be, is he a Goat contender with elite conditioning?

If he improves his conditioning can only Doncic himself answer.

Luka seems to me like someone who coasts on pure talent (which is gigantic, obviously) but who doesn't have an inner will like, let's say, a Giannis, to fully dedicate himself to obliterate the competition.

I think he will improve his conditioning over time, but I don't know if he will become a GOAT contender, more like a top 20 all-time contender for the moment.

Of course he will be a GOAT contender

he'll improve his conditioning. will still look fat. may take some bad losses in the playoffs for him to take it up a notch.

He already is goat , he just plays on terrible team