By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Luka Doncic has been the Dallas Mavericks‘ star since his first season in the NBA (even though he played one season with the great Dirk Nowitzki).
He turned a lottery-bound team into an NBA Finals contender in just four years as he reached the Western Conference Finals in his fourth season. Doncic is a wizard when the ball is in his hands as he can seemingly score whenever he wants and is one of the best passers in the NBA.
In his five seasons in the NBA, Doncic averages 27.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 8.0 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. He is one of the best offensive players in the NBA, and the Mavs are lucky to have a player of his caliber leading their roster.
Regardless of how good Luka Doncic is, the Dallas Mavericks want him to make one change.
In a mailbag, Tim Cato of The Athletic reported that some of Dallas’ “key figures have talked to Dončić about decreasing his preferred playing weight this summer.”
Doncic’s weight and playing shape have been a problem in the past, as he came into camp around 14 kilograms over his ideal playing weight of 104 kg in back-to-back seasons. This was a bad look for Doncic, as most players of his caliber don’t come into camp looking like that, but he admitted to not being in the best shape at that point and looked slimmer last season.
Cato didn’t note the exact weight that the Mavericks’ staff want Doncic at, but it’s clear that they want him to slim down some.
Doncic not slimming down too much is important, though. Over the past few seasons, he has developed into a much stronger finisher and uses his body much more. Not many players can stop Doncic when his back is to the basket, and that’s due to his strength and size.
While slimming down, Doncic must make sure he maintains his strength so he can continue to dominate around the basket.
There have also been rumors that Doncic hired a nutritionist this summer, and he seems to be training hard over in Slovenia so Mavs fans could get to see the best version of Doncic next season.
We’ll have you covered with all the latest news and rumors surrounding the Dallas Mavericks and Luka Doncic this offseason, so stay tuned.