One of the biggest factors that the Mavericks’ front office cited in trading away Luka Doncic was rumored to be concerns over his fitness. Doncic seems to have taken that personally but claimed he’s not worried about what the Mavericks said about him.
Many sources claimed that Doncic could be pivotal in ensuring that LeBron James stays with the Lakers for at least another season. Doncic himself claimed that he wants James to retire with the Lakers. But for him to convince James to stay, Doncic had to prove that he was working on his weaknesses.
Doncic reportedly lost 31 pounds over the summer to get into his peak physical shape again. Lakers’ assistant coach Greg St. Jean, who is working with the Slovenian national team on Doncic’s fitness, credits LeBron James for this body transformation.
“You know what? I always find this: iron sharpens iron. When you’re around really good players, it’s just like when you’re a coach, and you’re around a really good coach. You can’t help but be motivated to continue to get better at your craft.”
“I think Luka’s learned a little bit from every great player he’s been around. And I know he’s always looked up to LeBron,” the coach added. “He’s always been somebody he’s really admired. So I think having those two together is obviously motivating. I think it’s two-way motivating as well. I don’t think it’s just a one-way street.”
“I think LeBron, you can see, is working really hard as well. He’s up at 5 a.m., and he’s working on his body as well,” he continued. “So, I think our team and our players — it’s not just about those two guys — but I think everybody’s motivated to come back and have a really good season.”
When the media asked Doncic about this body transformation and what inspired it, he did not point to James.
“Just being the best I can be,” Doncic said. “Nothing specific from outside. Obviously, athletes need to relax sometimes. You can’t just be working every day.”
If Doncic ends up winning that championship with LeBron James, it will be a smack on the face of the Mavericks, who gave up on him. Currently playing for Slovenia at EuroBasket, Doncic seems to have worked on his defensive skills as well. While he believes that there is nothing significantly different in his game since he slimmed down, he may realize the benefits through the season.
