Luka has lost so much athleticism at such a young age

[facothomas22]

I agree. The burst he used to have before this year simply isn't there anymore. He really does rely a lot more on shot creation compared to 3-4 years where he just easily get to the paint without a problem.Watching his tapes from 2020 and 2021 and compare to what we have seen this year(even before the trade), it's mind blowing how he isn't the same from a athletic standpoint anymore. I don't know if it's a weight issue or if him playing at a professional level from a earlier age means that he will have a quicker decline. Ether way, it's concerning that Luka Doncic has simply been unable to get back to the level of production he was producing last year.

With that, this doesn't make Nico Harrison a genius at all. They still could've gotten a lot more back than what they did, which is injury prone Anthony Davis, a good role player in Max Christie and a 1st round pick, which does have more upside than what people believe, but still. The Spurs could've been that team and they had plenty of assets and would've gladly taken Luka Doncic over De'Aaron Fox. I also talked about how the Rockets need a legit 1st or atleast 2nd option to contend for a Championship.They would've easily jumped on a Luka trade and been willing whatever the Mavericks would've demanded. The Magic would've likely given up one of Paolo or Wagner and picks in order to get Luka as well and everyone knows the Magic offensive issues,which even a diminished Luka would've solved. So just because the results may end up not looking as bad as once believed, it doesn't make the process any better.

[Mr B]

He averaged 33.9ppg on 48.7% shooting last year
In 23 games with the Lakers he has shot above 48% a total of 5 times...
He's been a completely different player. Poor conditioning, broken shot, still elite at complaining though
Yes he was injured but at some point you should expect some progress. It's been close to two months since he came back and there has basically been none.

Its not gonna happen mid season. It's gonna take a full year of him redoing his conditioning and diet during the off season and then sticking with it over the season.

Is he willing the dedicate himself to that though is the question. So far the answer has been no, he’s not willing to do what it takes to get in peak condition.

[Cavsfansince84]

Is he willing the dedicate himself to that though is the question. So far the answer has been no, he’s not willing to do what it takes to get in peak condition.

Isn't that the whole point of this thread? Its kind of obvious he hasn't so far.

[CobraCommander]

All of the following can be true:

Nico was right about Luka's conditioning
Nico didn't get enough in return for Luka
Lakers stole Luka
Luka is still a great player
Luka would be even better if he was in shape
Being in shape isn't a lot to ask from an elite athlete, it's a pretty basic requirement

https://youtube.com/shorts/oI66Z5ogoyY?si=b3uhr5F__PLXNcbG

This is the problem in a nutshell

[anotherhomer]

already said, but this has shaq written all over it

[Onlytimewilltel]

He’s got to stay away from fats and booze and snacks. It’s simple, but also hard I guess. But it’s not rocket science.

[HotRocks34]

Declining Fat Man outplays MVP hopeful on his home court.

We've seen this movie before.

[boogiezen]

LOL @ this thread. His haters stay on that side.

[Yuri36]

Declining Fat Man outplays MVP hopeful on his home court.

We've seen this movie before.

Well, it's actually not contradictory with the points made by this thread.

Let's be clear, even this fat unfit version of Luka can more than match with the current best players in the world but the sad thing there is that with his GOAT level of basketball talent, he should be aiming for far more than "just" matching with guys like SGA (no disrespect to SGA).

When you watched him during his first 2/3 years, you literally had the belief we were watching a future GOAT candidate (at least on the offensive end).

Now you have the feeling we're "only" watching at best a top 25/30 all time player who with some luck could win 2/3 rings and 1/2 MVPs.
Still obviously fantastic but the reality is that it would be relatively disappointing for a guy with that potential to finish with "only" a top 30/40 all time type of career.

The point is that after 7 years in the league, the guy has made 5 all NBA team and yet hasn't won a single MVP and even got traded by Mavs.

Yes, Mavs organisation clearly should have gotten way more from that trade but still, the simple fact a trade was even envisaged by them after a season where they just made a NBA final and where Doncic had a MVP type of season should tell you that something hasn't been completely right in his path to greatness.

[Yuri36]

I'm really tired of people trying to defend Luka about his fitness by keeping mentioning Shaq and Joker when those two were/are playing at a position where being fat and unfit is not only less detrimental to a center's game but above all less prone to injuries as the type of efforts and sollicitations on knees and articulations are clearly not quite the same as the one required at point guard (especially in NBA where you're facing incredibly athletic and fast point guards).

And as I've been saying for years, my main issue about Luka's fitness was not even about its impact on his game (though i still think being fitter would make him better and in particular his changes of rythm and pace deadlier) but much more about the risk of injuries....and what has happened in the last 2/3 years (cf all the injuries he's got) is sadly only confirming me what i feared few years ago.

[Petergrifindor]

The point is that after 7 years in the league, the guy has made 5 all NBA team and yet hasn't won a single MVP and even got traded by Mavs.

Yes, Mavs organisation clearly should have gotten way more from that trade but still, the simple fact a trade was even envisaged by them after a season where they just made a NBA final and where Doncic had a MVP type of season should tell you that something hasn't been completely right in his path to greatness.

Should have won the MVP last year. He had the best regular season in the league by far.

Nico is stupid. You can't blame Luka for that either.

[HotRocks34]

Declining Fat Man outplays MVP hopeful on his home court.

We've seen this movie before.

Well, it's actually not contradictory with the points made by this thread.

Let's be clear, even this fat unfit version of Luka can more than match with the current best players in the world but the sad thing there is that with his GOAT level of basketball talent, he should be aiming for far more than "just" matching with guys like SGA (no disrespect to SGA).

When you watched him during his first 2/3 years, you literally had the belief we were watching a future GOAT candidate (at least on the offensive end).

Now you have the feeling we're "only" watching at best a top 25/30 all time player who with some luck could win 2/3 rings and 1/2 MVPs.
Still obviously fantastic but the reality is that it would be relatively disappointing for a guy with that potential to finish with "only" a top 30/40 all time type of career.

The point is that after 7 years in the league, the guy has made 5 all NBA team and yet hasn't won a single MVP and even got traded by Mavs.

Yes, Mavs organisation clearly should have gotten way more from that trade but still, the simple fact a trade was even envisaged by them after a season where they just made a NBA final and where Doncic had a MVP type of season should tell you that something hasn't been completely right in his path to greatness.

Joke post. It doesn't deserve a response beyond that.

[guynumber45]

Declining Fat Man outplays MVP hopeful on his home court.

We've seen this movie before.

Well, it's actually not contradictory with the points made by this thread.

Let's be clear, even this fat unfit version of Luka can more than match with the current best players in the world but the sad thing there is that with his GOAT level of basketball talent, he should be aiming for far more than "just" matching with guys like SGA (no disrespect to SGA).

When you watched him during his first 2/3 years, you literally had the belief we were watching a future GOAT candidate (at least on the offensive end).

Now you have the feeling we're "only" watching at best a top 25/30 all time player who with some luck could win 2/3 rings and 1/2 MVPs.
Still obviously fantastic but the reality is that it would be relatively disappointing for a guy with that potential to finish with "only" a top 30/40 all time type of career.

The point is that after 7 years in the league, the guy has made 5 all NBA team and yet hasn't won a single MVP and even got traded by Mavs.

Yes, Mavs organisation clearly should have gotten way more from that trade but still, the simple fact a trade was even envisaged by them after a season where they just made a NBA final and where Doncic had a MVP type of season should tell you that something hasn't been completely right in his path to greatness.

You are correct. Difference between this version of Luka and the Luka of a few years ago was ability to get to the paint at will and score at an incredibly efficient clip. This current version of Luka is only efficient when is 3-ball is falling. When it isn't dropping like we saw in that GSW game, his performance can be very ugly.

I believe if put the work required to shed 20-30 pounds and maximize his explosivness, he can easily be the most dominant player in the league. But does he have the want and discipline to change his current lifestyle to chase greatness? Doesn't look like it. This offseason will give us the answer.

[HotRocks34]

Already went through this in a different thread on the same subject.

viewtopic.php?t=2446573&start=20#p117589387

People are entitled to think whatever they want, regardless of how much they do or do not know about the subject.

Can Luka get in better shape? Absolutely. Has he changed how he plays because of factors that don't have to do with his conditioning? Yes.

It's the latter point that some people don't appear to grasp.

Because of that, it's hard to take the arguments seriously.

Nico didn't want Luka and got rid of him as quickly as he reasonably could once Cuban sold the team.

That has more to do with Nico than Luka.

[IG2]

I'm kinda amazed by how much his mobility seems to fluctuate every few games. Some nights he looks quick, explosive and fluid. Then there are other nights where he seems to be playing with lead in his shoes.

He's so incredibly skilled though that he can be dominant even when he's slow af, but it's still not ideal to be in that situation. He can be very inefficient on nights his 3ball is off.

[Jazz9]

I'm kinda amazed by how much his mobility seems to change every few games. Some nights he looks quick, explosive and fluid. Then there are other nights where he seems to be playing with lead in his shoes.

He's so incredibly skilled though that he can be dominant even when he's slow af, but it's still not ideal to be in that situation. He can be very inefficient on nights his 3ball is off.

You're basically describing someone in his mid thirties.
Some days you have it, others you don't.
Which isn't exactly ideal when you just turned 26 though

[Gus McCrae]

Lukas shot isn’t falling and he’s a turnstile on D, but he can get a shot anytime he wants and his passing is insane. He’s one of the craftiest players I’ve been ever seen.

His shot isn’t fallling right now hit I suspect it will again.

[LuckyGreen7]

I'm kinda amazed by how much his mobility seems to change every few games. Some nights he looks quick, explosive and fluid. Then there are other nights where he seems to be playing with lead in his shoes.

He's so incredibly skilled though that he can be dominant even when he's slow af, but it's still not ideal to be in that situation. He can be very inefficient on nights his 3ball is off.

You're basically describing someone in his mid thirties.
Some days you have it, others you don't.
Which isn't exactly ideal when you just turned 26 though

Or someone with a drinking problem who has off nights when he's hungover

[BCbudraptorfan]

Luka just don't give a **** guys these euros are different look at joker

[Bob8]

Declining Fat Man outplays MVP hopeful on his home court.

We've seen this movie before.

Well, it's actually not contradictory with the points made by this thread.

Let's be clear, even this fat unfit version of Luka can more than match with the current best players in the world but the sad thing there is that with his GOAT level of basketball talent, he should be aiming for far more than "just" matching with guys like SGA (no disrespect to SGA).

When you watched him during his first 2/3 years, you literally had the belief we were watching a future GOAT candidate (at least on the offensive end).

Now you have the feeling we're "only" watching at best a top 25/30 all time player who with some luck could win 2/3 rings and 1/2 MVPs.
Still obviously fantastic but the reality is that it would be relatively disappointing for a guy with that potential to finish with "only" a top 30/40 all time type of career.

The point is that after 7 years in the league, the guy has made 5 all NBA team and yet hasn't won a single MVP and even got traded by Mavs.

Yes, Mavs organisation clearly should have gotten way more from that trade but still, the simple fact a trade was even envisaged by them after a season where they just made a NBA final and where Doncic had a MVP type of season should tell you that something hasn't been completely right in his path to greatness.

You are correct. Difference between this version of Luka and the Luka of a few years ago was ability to get to the paint at will and score at an incredibly efficient clip. This current version of Luka is only efficient when is 3-ball is falling. When it isn't dropping like we saw in that GSW game, his performance can be very ugly.

I believe if put the work required to shed 20-30 pounds and maximize his explosivness, he can easily be the most dominant player in the league. But does he have the want and discipline to change his current lifestyle to chase greatness? Doesn't look like it. This offseason will give us the answer.

Fat Luka had 34/9/10 with 62% TS last year. That was his far the best RS. 73 points game, 60 points triple double...all that being fat. What are expectations for in shape Luka? 45/15/15? 100 points game? Winning Iron Man in Hawaii?