The Los Angeles Lakers have clearly shifted their focus to building around superstar Luka Doncic. Gone are the days of the franchise focusing on LeBron James.
After pulling off the blockbuster trade with the Dallas Mavericks to acquire Doncic, it was a clear move for the future. James has just one year left on his contract and there have been a lot of trade rumors surrounding him over the last week.
Doncic, on the other hand, is prepared to be the long-term face of the franchise for the Lakers. However, there have been quite a few critiques of him. One of those critiques was about the shape he was in last season.
Throughout the NBA offseason, Doncic has been putting in work. That was clear during a recent appearance that he made in Greece.
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His physical appearance caused a stir within the NBA world.
It did not take long for fans to rush to the comments section.
“If he could’ve done this the entire time it’s crazy he was out of peak shape that long,” one fan commented.
A second fan chimed in, “Pelinka deserves tenure for getting Luka man.”
“The new slim reaper,” a third comment read.
A fourth comment said, “MVP! MVP! MVP! The league is not ready for the dominance coming.”
“MVP season loading I think,” another fan wrote.
During the 2024-25 NBA season with Los Angeles after the trade, Doncic played in 28 games. He averaged 28.2 points per game to go along with 8.1 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 1.6 steals. Doncic shot 43.8 percent from the floor and 37.9 percent from three-point range.
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At just 26 years old, Doncic has clearly been motivated by his trade away from the Mavericks. If the Lakers’ superstar is able to get in top shape, his game could take another step forward.
So far this offseason, Los Angeles has made a couple of moves. Rob Pelinka signed both Jake LaRavia and Deandre Ayton in free agency. There is still more work to do, but the Lakers are trying to make the necessary moves to get back into championship contention.
It will be interesting to see what the rest of the offseason has in store for Los Angeles. Doncic taking another step from a physical perspective could be a big improvement in and of itself.
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