While Luka Doncic has been performing incredibly well for the Dallas Mavericks in their past few games before the All-Star break, it really didn't start that way for the Mavs guard. When the 2021-22 season started, Luka was not at his usual best and appeared to be out of form despite putting up monster numbers.

Now, in an exclusive interview with Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News, the Slovenian guard admitted that he “relaxed a little bit too much” during the offseason and did not really focus on his conditioning.

To recall, Doncic had a long year in 2021. After leading the Mavs to the 2021 playoffs, he really didn't get much rest since he played for Slovenia in the Tokyo Summer Olympics. Naturally, he used the remaining time of the NBA offseason to rest and decompress.

Doncic was then widely criticized for his conditioning earlier in the season, with previous rumors even citing that he reported to training camp weighing 260 pounds.

The 22-year-old has certainly turned a corner as the season progressed, and a little past the mid-point of the campaign, he is thriving and firing on all cylinders. For Luka, though, he attributes that to his change in diet.

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“Chicken and rice and vegetables is the most popular [with me] because I don’t eat a lot of seafood,” Doncic said. “Mostly just eating healthier. … That was the key to be here.”

Clearly, the changes in habits has worked wonders for Luka Doncic. In the Mavs' past five games, he averaged 38.3 points, 13.3 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game. Dallas was 4-1 in that span, which speaks volumes of the impact Luka Magic can make while putting up big numbers.

The hope for Mavs fans is for Luka to maintain those habits beyond just this 2021-22 season. Being the lone star in Dallas, the team needs him to be as healthy and less-injury prone as possible for them to keep competing in the wild Western Conference.

Doncic has learned his lesson in a hard way, and by the looks of it, it made a mark on him as he continues to grow and mature as a leader for the franchise.