luka doncic
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic.
The trade for Luka Doncic completely changed the present and the future for the Los Angeles Lakers. His presence helped get the team the No. 3 seed in the NBA playoffs, but once they got there, they faltered.
Doncic played well, having scored 28+ points in four of five games, but his poor defensive play was a big reason why the Lakers could only win one game in the series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
When the Dallas Mavericks surprisingly traded the star guard, a reason for that was due to Doncic’s conditioning. The team didn’t believe he took staying in shape that seriously.
Doncic’s conditioning has been a talking point for a few years now, but it looks like he might want to finally change the narrative. According to longtime NBA writer Jason Gallagher, the Lakers star is planning to change his mindset when it comes to conditioning this offseason.
“I have heard from folks that are pretty honest about the conditioning stuff that Luka has already begun to ‘clean slate’ — starting anew,” Gallagher said on “The Dumb Zone” podcast. “He’s already in this mindset of changing a lot about himself. Now, I’ve heard it a before. But not from specific people that have been critical of him.”
Gilbert Arenas Wants to See More Defensive Effort From Doncic
Doncic is one of the best offensive players in the NBA. He’s averaged over 28 points a game for four straight seasons. When it comes to scoring, he’s among the best in the league.
However, his defense is becoming more of an issue. Even former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas called out Doncic.
“I think he’s gonna get in better shape,” Arenas said in a recent YouTube video. “Defense? I don’t know nothing about that. Either you play defense or you don’t. … I don’t see him just trying to be some lockdown defender.”
Former Teammate Offers Thoughts on Doncic Trade
Even with Doncic’s faults, not many could’ve expected the Mavericks to trade him. He was named All-NBA First Team five straight years before this season, and just led Dallas to the NBA Finals.
There was swift backlash from the Mavericks fan base, as so many were caught off guard when the news broke. Mavericks forward Naji Marshall gave some details as to the thought process of the team after the news.
“I mean, I understood business is business as far as NBA, but I was hurt, man,” Marshall said on the “Young Man and the Three” podcast. “Luka’s my dawg for real. And I love AD, that’s my guy right there, like he’s been great with us. He welcomed us with open arms, we welcomed him with open arms. That’s my guy. But as far as just personally like I was just hurt to lose Luka, man. I mean, it was a great time spent with him, the short time we did, and I mean I was just hurt to see him go.”
The Mavericks are feeling better about the deal now that they’re likely going to add Cooper Flagg in the draft.