One of the reasons why the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers was due to his lack of work ethic. Doncic has always been criticized for his bad conditioning since entering the NBA, though he has always performed at the highest level.
Speaking to Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times back in April, Doncic opened up about his shocking trade to the Lakers two months prior. He was surprised by the rationale given by the Mavericks for making one of the most baffling trades in NBA history.
“They have no idea. … I didn’t end up here by mistake. You know? I worked my ass to be here. So it’s kinda, I would say disrespectful, just sad that people say that,” Doncic said.
The Don ended up proving the Mavericks wrong after taking his health and conditioning seriously this past summer. He slimmed down for the 2025 EuroBasket, helping Slovenia reach the quarterfinals.
Doncic is averaging 33.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game this season. There have been hiccups in his defensive efforts, but he has been dominant on the offensive end.
Spencer Dinwiddie Defends Doncic
In an appearance on the Buckets Don’t Stop podcast with Ekam Nagra, Spencer Dinwiddie was asked about what it was like to play with Luka Doncic. Dinwiddie had two stints with the Dallas Mavericks, so he knows a thing or two about the magic behind the superstar.
Dinwiddie defended Doncic from those who call him out for a bad work ethic. He acknowledged that Doncic hated doing drills, but he always stayed behind and played scrimmage for hours.
“It’s funny because, to me, it was just different. And what I mean by that is, Luka didn’t love drills, right? But he would grab the G-League players, the practice players, the whatever, and he’d play 3-on-3, 5-on-5 for an hour, two hours, whatever, after practice. And that was his reps, like he was using them as cones,” Dinwiddie said, via HoopsHype.
Regardless of what people thought about Doncic, he took things more seriously in the offseason. He had a nutritionist and even adapted intermittent fasting to drop some weight, as per the Wall Street Journal.
Doncic focused on helping his body get ready for the rigorous season and avoiding muscle-related injuries that plagued him in his final year in Dallas.
Doncic Drops 46 Points in Lakers Win
As proof of his offensive prowess this season, Luka Doncic had 46 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists on Monday night against the Chicago Bulls. Doncic was nearly unstoppable at the United Center, as the Lakers earned a 129-118 win.
LeBron James contributed 24 points, five rebounds and three assists, while Rui Hachimura scored 23 points off the bench. The Lakers improved to 28-17 for the season, which is good for fifth place in the West standings.
The Lakers are also in the middle of a rough eight-game road trip that started on January 20 against the Denver Nuggets. They have four games left on the trip, visiting the Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets before returning home on February 5.
Ex-Mavs Player Defends Luka Doncic From Work Ethic Narrative