For the last couple of years, fans and analysts alike have pointed out something missing in Luka Doncic’s game: the full-on, downhill attacking version of Doncic that once made defenders look helpless.
He has still filled up the stat sheet, sure. But there were stretches where it felt like he was settling, taking more step-backs, with a lot fewer drives. It looked like he had less force in his game. Now? That might be changing.
“I was hoping that weight loss would bring some of that quicker-on-the-ball juice we saw earlier in his career,” said Wosny Lambre on The Kevin O’Connor Show. “And I think some of that is back, to be sure.”
Luka Doncic’s new look may revive the lost element of his game
So far, whatDoncic has done in EuroBasket has passed the eye test. In Slovenia’s most recent preparation game against Great Britain, Doncic looked light on his feet and completely locked in.
He scored 28 points in limited minutes and got to the rim repeatedly. He went 7-for-7 at the line in the first quarter alone, and ended up finishing the game going 12-14 at the stripe.
What is even better is that 5 of the 7 field goals he made came all within the arc. That is what the Doncic fans have been waiting to see. Someone who can get to his spots with ease, draw contact, and slice through defenses instead of dancing around them.
Fans are not the only ones to notice this. His Slovenian teammates see it, too.
“He’s faster and jumps more,” forward Edo Muric told Pijus Sapetk of BasketNews.
“This year, I expect him to be the best version of himself.” Aleksej Nikolic, another one of Doncic’s teammates, agreed, saying: “He’s in a lot better shape.”
This all tracks with what we have heard: the strict diet, the two-a-days, the cleaner recovery. It looks like that work is unlocking a version of his game that has been tucked away for a while.
“Remember the first time he played against Kawhi [Leonard] and Paul George in the playoffs?” Lambre recalled. “Those guys couldn’t do anything with him. And it’s not because he was doing a bunch of stepbacks. It’s because he was breaking these guys down… off the dribble.”
That is what makes this new version of Luka so intriguing. We already know he is one of the smartest, most skilled offensive players in the league. But if he has got that extra burst again, the one enough to get by elite defenders and live at the rim, he will be at a different level.
The Los Angeles Lakers did not just bet on Doncic this offseason. They invested in his future. If this leaner version unlocks even one more gear, they might be looking at the best version of Doncic yet.