Mark Cuban knows that Luka Doncic did not come into the 2020-2021 NBA season in the best of shape. Doncic has been called out for his poor fitness throughout the beginning of the season with the Dallas Mavericks. One can not expect an unfit player to lead a team with title-contending potential in a competitive Western Conference, as Doncic has established in the past few seasons that he will be the face of the Mavs franchise.

Mavs owner Mark Cuban believes he knows the reason why Doncic may not have been as prepared as he would have liked to start the season.

On Sportsradio 96.7 FM/1310 AM The Ticket, the Mavs expected Doncic to play for the Slovenian National team in the offseason. Due to COVID-19, his plans to play overseas were canceled, and workouts that may have kept Doncic in an explosive form did not occur.

Cuban went on to say that Doncic acknowledged the fact that he did not come into the season the way he wanted, leading to the scrutiny he has faced this season with the Mavs.

However, averaging 27.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.7 assists so far, Doncic's performance with the Mavs does not seem to be impacted by his “lack of fitness” and the pressure he has been under to get back in form. His leadership, an attribute of his that has been constant throughout his young career, will continue to flourish even when experiencing difficult times.

“Luka knows that when that happens, he’s going to get the blame, no matter what. But there’s nobody in the organization that has changed our perspective of Luka at all. We know he’s amazing. He’s a top-three, top-five player in the league and he’s only going to get better,” Cuban had to say, via Mavs reporter Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News.