Well, that is one way to show that you’re in shape.
Despite a loss in a meaningless prep game ahead of the 2023 World Cup, which starts on August 25 in East Asia, Luka Doncic sent a message to the Mavericks and the NBA world general on Wednesday. It’s only August but he is already primed for the coming season.
With the Slovenian national team facing Greece in Lubljana, Doncic put on a show, notching a triple-double of 21 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, playing just 29:31 in front of a sold-out home crowd. Doncic did not play in Slovenia’s first prep match, against China last week, and has not played since April 7 with the Mavs.
Luka Doncic is a SAVAGE 😤🇸🇮
Doncic has, apparently, taken seriously the criticism that he has not shown up for training camp in top condition during his time in Dallas. In a photo that popped up on Instagram in June, Doncic was already looking considerably thinner.
Luka Doncic Took Heat on Conditioning
The debate over his conditioning probably is overblown. Doncic has taken heat for the kind of shape he keeps for years now. At first, the problem was that he showed up too pudgy and played his way into shape, which is not exactly borne out by the numbers. In Doncic’s career, he has averaged 27.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists. His career numbers in October and November are not far off of those: 26.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.6 assists. His shooting numbers are nearly identical.
But, in 2021, after the NBA returned suddenly from its Covid-19 hiatus, Doncic conceded that he had not kept fit, and the narrative about his conditioning took hold.
Last year, after arriving in camp in good shape and getting off to a scintillating start—he scored 30-plus points in 22 of his first 27 games—Doncic instead took flak for being out of shape at the end of the year. In a playoff conference call with TNT, Hall of Famer and analyst Reggie Miller took aim at Doncic after the Mavs missed the postseason.
“Luka’s got to get in better shape,” Miller said. “They’ve got to run more, and I think they did that when Luka was out and Kyrie was at the helm because they’re much better when they play faster. That’s how Jason Kidd wants to coach. He wants them to play faster, but when Luka’s in there, they can’t play fast. To me, if he’s in better shape and they can play fast, that puts more pressure on the opposing team.”
Doncic Has Plenty of Motivation
Certainly, Doncic will have ample motivation, not only to push Slovenia in this tournament—in which he will have to play without friend and mentor Goran Dragic—but to show he is prepared for the Mavs season after a whopping disappointment last year.
The Mavs traded for point guard Kyrie Irving at the deadline, but he and Doncic never were able to form a rhythm, in part because of injuries. But even when they played together, over 16 games, the pair produced only a 5-11 record.
Similarly, Slovenia finished a disappointing sixth in last summer’s EuroBasket tournament, after winning the tournament in 2017 and finishing fourth in the 2021 Olympics.
“I am very motivated myself, I was additionally motivated by the failure of my team in the NBA and last year’s failure of Slovenia at the European Championship,” Doncic said, according to RTV Slovenia. “But you always look ahead. We don’t care what happened last year.”
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Luka Doncic Sends Message to Mavs, NBA in World Cup Prep Opener