So much of the talk about Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic this offseason has been about his physical transformation. Doncic looks to have slimmed down a fair bit over the summer, but interestingly enough, he is set to enter this 2025-26 season heavier than he was entering 2024-25.
The Lakers recently announced their roster for training camp, and they have listed Doncic at 244 pounds. A year earlier, the Dallas Mavericks had listed the Slovenian at 230 pounds when they announced their training camp roster.
You’d like to believe that at least some of this is down to Doncic gaining muscle. The 26-year-old changed his diet this offseason and underwent special indoor training. He was a man on a mission after the Mavericks shockingly traded him in February in part due to concerns about his long-term health. Doncic may be heavier now than he was a year ago, but he looks in great shape.
What’s quite interesting, though, about this weight gain, is that it was reported in August that Doncic had lost 31 pounds compared to a year ago. Either the five-time All-Star was a lot heavier than what the Mavericks showed, or this report was off the mark.
Whatever the case may be, the only thing that matters now is that Doncic looks primed to have one of the best seasons of his career. He averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game for the Lakers in 2024-25, and wasn’t quite at his destructive best on a consistent basis for his new team. You’d expect that to change in 2025-26.
An NBA scout has predicted that Doncic will win MVP in 2026, and he very well could. He finished third in the MVP race back in 2024 and would have a great chance of taking home the award this time if he has the Lakers near the top of the standings in the West.
The Lakers were the third seed last season with a 50-32 record, but they were miles away from the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, who were 68-14. That gap will have to go down if Doncic is to win MVP for the first time in his career.
Doncic’s main goal, though, is to win a championship. He came close in 2024, but his Mavericks team lost in five games to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals. It was a disappointing end to what was an incredible playoff run. You would back Doncic to get back to the big stage sooner rather than later, but Scottie Pippen doesn’t think he’ll lead a team to the NBA Finals again.
Pippen believes that was a one-off, which is quite shocking. Something would have had to have seriously gone wrong if Doncic ended his NBA career with just one trip to the Finals.
