The Dallas Mavericks are poised to ask even more of Luka Doncic next season after letting Jalen Brunson walk to the New York Knicks in free agency. Don't be surprised when his newly svelte physique helps the Mavericks' franchise player make carrying that additional weight look easy.
As photos of “skinny Luka” continue taking the internet by storm in advance of Eurobasket 2022, his trainer shed light on the Slovenian superstar's updated offseason training regimen.
“Shortly after the end of the season, he contacted me and said that he wanted to start conditioning immediately,” Anze Macek, trainer for the Slovenian national team, told Martin Pavčnik of SportKlub. “Together with Goran Dragić, they worked for three weeks. The national team action followed. When he went on vacation, he asked me for a work plan. He remains active. I am in contact with him almost on a daily basis. He keeps his shape. He will upgrade everything in the national team trainings, where he will prepare for maximum efforts.”
Doncic's weight and conditioning have been an annual subject leading up to every season of his career. He admitted to relaxing a “little bit too much” after nearly leading Slovenia to the gold medal game in the Tokyo Olympics, reportedly showing up to training camp at around 260 pounds.
Doncic eventually shook off his slow start to the first couple months of 2021-22, earning First Team All-NBA honors for the third consecutive season and leading Dallas to a surprise appearance in the Western Conference Finals. The burden he carried as driver of the Mavericks' heliocentric offensive attack nevertheless wore on Doncic throughout the playoffs, though, especially as opposing teams began targeting him defensively.
Doncic's role won't change much in 2022-23. He's due even more usage with Brunson playing elsewhere, and Jason Kidd won't hesitate to call him out on the other end if Doncic's defensive effort wanes, just like he did in the postseason.
Every young superstar reaches a point when it's time to take their preparation more seriously. Doncic is clearly there, ready to scrape new heights with additional quickness, burst and stamina afforded by his more diligent, committed approach to offseason training.
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