Luka Doncic enters the 2026-27 season carrying even more responsibility with the Los Angeles Lakers, and NBA analyst Zach Lowe believes his health will be one of the biggest storylines to watch.
During The Zach Lowe Show while discussing the NBA players facing the most pressure next season, Lowe pointed back to Doncic's highly publicized body transformation last summer, and the injury problems that followed anyway.
"Are we a year removed from the Men's Health cover of Luka? That was a monumental moment in Luka history, and he was in better shape last year, and he still missed time with leg injuries, including in the playoffs," Lowe said. "This was obviously the Mavericks' fear when they made an objectively insane trade."
Luka's conditioning had been one of the major talking points surrounding Dallas' stunning decision to trade him to the Lakers in February 2025.
Months later, he appeared noticeably leaner on the cover of Men's Health after making significant changes to his offseason routine.
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Doncic transformed his body, but injuries remained
Doncic spent the summer of 2025 working extensively on his conditioning, incorporating two-a-day workouts, strength and agility work, intermittent fasting and a gluten-free, low-sugar diet with a heavy emphasis on protein.
The transformation appeared to address one of the biggest concerns that had followed him throughout his career.
However, Lowe noted that improved conditioning did not completely eliminate the availability questions.
Doncic was limited to 64 games during the 2025-26 regular season despite leading the NBA with 33.5 points per game. His season then took an unfortunate turn when he suffered a serious left hamstring strain on April 2.
The injury forced Doncic to miss both of the Lakers' playoff series. Los Angeles defeated the Houston Rockets in the first round before being swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.
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Lakers are now unquestionably Doncic's team
The pressure surrounding Luka is also significantly different heading into this season.
LeBron James left Los Angeles after eight seasons and signed with the Philadelphia 76ers this summer, completing the Lakers' transition from the James era to one centered entirely around Doncic.
As a result, the Lakers no longer have to balance building around two different timelines.
Doncic, 27, is now unquestionably the franchise centerpiece and will be expected to carry Los Angeles back into championship contention.
His offseason has also looked very different from a year ago.
Rather than playing for Slovenia this summer, Doncic withdrew from national-team duty while dealing with a custody dispute involving his two daughters, Gabriela and Olivia.
Luka said his priority was spending time with them while pursuing joint custody.