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As the 2025 NBA Playoffs are get underway, we are all looking forward to seeing players like Luka Dončić, James Harden and Nikola Jokic rise to the occasion and put on performances to remember. All of them are key players for Western Conference contenders, who could potentially define this year’s playoffs with big performances over the next few weeks. And all of them are superstars in their own right in a league of elite athletes, despite not being considered very athletic by traditional standards.

Prince187 wrote:The sad part about Luka is that he used to be “traditionally athletic” not too long ago. I don’t know what happened to him. I don’t believe it’s from drinking beer and smoking hookah. He’s only in his mid 20s. If anyone would’ve been on pace to be the next Jordan it would have been young Luka

lambchop wrote:

Prince187 wrote:The sad part about Luka is that he used to be “traditionally athletic” not too long ago. I don’t know what happened to him. I don’t believe it’s from drinking beer and smoking hookah. He’s only in his mid 20s. If anyone would’ve been on pace to be the next Jordan it would have been young Luka

Gaining weight will diminish that traditional athleticism. "Fat don't fly" is a real thing.

At 6-foot-8, Doncic has ideal size. He’s versatile enough to play both guard positions, though many think he will transform into a full-time point guard in the NBA. He’s an excellent playmaker. Arguably his best trait is his ability to orchestrate in a half-court set using his superb vision, instincts and high basketball IQ. While he’s not very athletic or agile, and has little to no explosion off the bounce, Doncic is one of the craftiest prospects we’ve seen in a while. Like current NBA players such as James Harden, Evan Fournier and Manu Ginobili, Doncic has remarkably good footwork. He’s so shifty and unpredictable that defenders have a hard time anticipating his movements.

There are concerns about his lack of athleticism and sprightliness, though. He doesn’t slide his feet well laterally, which could make it easy for opponents to play him one-on-one when he’s on an island defensively. Also, though he has unlimited range and good mechanics, Doncic is a streaky long-distance shooter. He’s much more consistent shooting off the bounce and will sometimes settle for inefficient shots if he can’t shake his defender.

Doncic has below average athleticism and will have a big adjustment to make playing against NBA size and speed. There are a lot of questions about who he’ll guard at the next level. He projects as an average defender at best, and possibly a liability on D.

Doncic doesn’t have great foot speed and could struggle to get to the rim against NBA defenders, and his lack of jumping ability will make it hard to score in traffic. He’s got a solid frame but one that is compact, heavy and lacks length.

Can be a little bit sloppy with the ball and needs to tighten up his handles and make better decisions with the ball to avoid careless turnovers.

Can be a streaky shooter, especially from downtown.

CloudWalker wrote:

lambchop wrote:

Prince187 wrote:The sad part about Luka is that he used to be “traditionally athletic” not too long ago. I don’t know what happened to him. I don’t believe it’s from drinking beer and smoking hookah. He’s only in his mid 20s. If anyone would’ve been on pace to be the next Jordan it would have been young Luka

Gaining weight will diminish that traditional athleticism. "Fat don't fly" is a real thing.

Why are people trying to rewrite history? Luka has never been considered "traditionally athletic". Never. It was the main reason he was selected 3rd in the draft.

There have always been question marks around his athleticism, he simply immediately proved that these limitations didn't matter since he was just so, so good and able to overcome them with his insane play. Luka has never been good because of his athleticism, it's other things that have made him one of the best offensive players in the league over the last 5 years.

Example from a scouting report, pre 2018 draft:

At 6-foot-8, Doncic has ideal size. He’s versatile enough to play both guard positions, though many think he will transform into a full-time point guard in the NBA. He’s an excellent playmaker. Arguably his best trait is his ability to orchestrate in a half-court set using his superb vision, instincts and high basketball IQ. While he’s not very athletic or agile, and has little to no explosion off the bounce, Doncic is one of the craftiest prospects we’ve seen in a while. Like current NBA players such as James Harden, Evan Fournier and Manu Ginobili, Doncic has remarkably good footwork. He’s so shifty and unpredictable that defenders have a hard time anticipating his movements.

There are concerns about his lack of athleticism and sprightliness, though. He doesn’t slide his feet well laterally, which could make it easy for opponents to play him one-on-one when he’s on an island defensively. Also, though he has unlimited range and good mechanics, Doncic is a streaky long-distance shooter. He’s much more consistent shooting off the bounce and will sometimes settle for inefficient shots if he can’t shake his defender.

Link:https://www.nba.com/magic/2018-draft-prospects-luka-doncic

Another:

Doncic has below average athleticism and will have a big adjustment to make playing against NBA size and speed. There are a lot of questions about who he’ll guard at the next level. He projects as an average defender at best, and possibly a liability on D.

Doncic doesn’t have great foot speed and could struggle to get to the rim against NBA defenders, and his lack of jumping ability will make it hard to score in traffic. He’s got a solid frame but one that is compact, heavy and lacks length.

Can be a little bit sloppy with the ball and needs to tighten up his handles and make better decisions with the ball to avoid careless turnovers.

Can be a streaky shooter, especially from downtown.

Link: https://nbadraftroom.com/luka-doncic-nba-draft-scouting-report/

I could find more examples, these are just the first two sources I found. I'm sure other reports were similar though, I was really into the 2018 draft and I remember various narratives around Luka very well.

FarBeyondDriven wrote:turns out when you've got the ball all the time, are allowed to utilize illegal moving screens to get centers on you, carry, travel, push off and foul bait, you can put up some pretty spectacular numbers in the weakest era for NBA basketball since the 70s

LarsV8 wrote:*offensively*

Which is not really about athleticism, it is about "twitchy-ness", "Misdirection from body movements", "deceleration", "burst", and just good old fashion BBIQ, or perhaps you want to call it craftiness.

CloudWalker wrote:

lambchop wrote:

Prince187 wrote:The sad part about Luka is that he used to be “traditionally athletic” not too long ago. I don’t know what happened to him. I don’t believe it’s from drinking beer and smoking hookah. He’s only in his mid 20s. If anyone would’ve been on pace to be the next Jordan it would have been young Luka

Gaining weight will diminish that traditional athleticism. "Fat don't fly" is a real thing.

Why are people trying to rewrite history? Luka has never been considered "traditionally athletic". Never. It was the main reason he was selected 3rd in the draft.

There have always been question marks around his athleticism, he simply immediately proved that these limitations didn't matter since he was just so, so good and able to overcome them with his insane play. Luka has never been good because of his athleticism, it's other things that have made him one of the best offensive players in the league over the last 5 years.

Example from a scouting report, pre 2018 draft:

At 6-foot-8, Doncic has ideal size. He’s versatile enough to play both guard positions, though many think he will transform into a full-time point guard in the NBA. He’s an excellent playmaker. Arguably his best trait is his ability to orchestrate in a half-court set using his superb vision, instincts and high basketball IQ. While he’s not very athletic or agile, and has little to no explosion off the bounce, Doncic is one of the craftiest prospects we’ve seen in a while. Like current NBA players such as James Harden, Evan Fournier and Manu Ginobili, Doncic has remarkably good footwork. He’s so shifty and unpredictable that defenders have a hard time anticipating his movements.

There are concerns about his lack of athleticism and sprightliness, though. He doesn’t slide his feet well laterally, which could make it easy for opponents to play him one-on-one when he’s on an island defensively. Also, though he has unlimited range and good mechanics, Doncic is a streaky long-distance shooter. He’s much more consistent shooting off the bounce and will sometimes settle for inefficient shots if he can’t shake his defender.

Link:https://www.nba.com/magic/2018-draft-prospects-luka-doncic

Another:

Doncic has below average athleticism and will have a big adjustment to make playing against NBA size and speed. There are a lot of questions about who he’ll guard at the next level. He projects as an average defender at best, and possibly a liability on D.

Doncic doesn’t have great foot speed and could struggle to get to the rim against NBA defenders, and his lack of jumping ability will make it hard to score in traffic. He’s got a solid frame but one that is compact, heavy and lacks length.

Can be a little bit sloppy with the ball and needs to tighten up his handles and make better decisions with the ball to avoid careless turnovers.

Can be a streaky shooter, especially from downtown.

Link: https://nbadraftroom.com/luka-doncic-nba-draft-scouting-report/

I could find more examples, these are just the first two sources I found. I'm sure other reports were similar though, I was really into the 2018 draft and I remember various narratives around Luka very well.

Prince187 wrote:The sad part about Luka is that he used to be “traditionally athletic” not too long ago.