Former NBA superstar-turned-analyst Reggie Miller dished out valuable advice to Luka Doncic after the Dallas Mavericks’ disappointing end to the NBA 2022-23 season.
“Let’s face it,” Miller on a TNT conference call, via The Dallas Morning News. “Luka needs to start looking in the mirror a little bit, too, right? I hate to throw this all on Kyrie. Luka needs to kind of look at himself and [ask], ‘What could I have done better?’”
The Indiana Pacers star’s comments come on the back of a question about what the team could do better in the offseason to make sure there won’t be an encore of their woeful run this season.
It’s worth noting that Miller has been vocal about Doncic getting his conditioning and fitness on point earlier as well. The former clutch legend called out the Slovenian for “plodding” on the court, especially on defense, and asked him to “trim down.”
And while Doncic acknowledged Miller’s advice then, he’s had his share of being gassed out this time as well. The latter also had his thoughts on Doncic’s foul troubles and subsequent complaints.
“I think a lot of times, if you watch Mavericks games and the antics and talking to the officials — and this is coming from a guy who stayed on the officials myself — sometimes that wears on them,” Miller said. “That wears on them. It really does. Just looking at it from afar, at times I just think the officials were tuning him out.”
Only time will tell if Doncic makes note of these observations. He has ample time to recalibrate while the Mavericks figure out a way to reshape the roster to give him and, hopefully Kyrie Irving the right pieces to help contend for a title.
NBA Analyst Colin Cowherd Had Spoken About Luka Doncic’s Conditioning As Well
It wasn’t just Reggie Miller who pointed out the things Doncic needed to work on during the offseason. NBA analyst Colin Cowherd shared his thoughts on the 24-year-old’s fitness levels.
“I think Luka’s becoming a little like Carmelo Anthony,” he said on The Herd With Colin Cowherd. “Carmelo Anthony… one year of college, very young, comes into the league. Luka, a European baller, comes here into the league.”
Cowherd further added to the comparison: “Their offensive games are very refined. But then, after like four years, you realize that Melo and Luka are never in great shape, not committed on the defense, stuck in their ways, both get very prickly, and he’s got his way.”
While the comparison aspect can be a discussion tabled for a later time, his comments make one of the few who called out Doncic for his conditioning. It remains to be seen how the Mavericks’ mainstay will respond to this.
For now, it’s a lengthy break for the Mavs.
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