NBA
Lakers’ Luka Doncic Was Set To Improve Fitness Level While With Mavericks
Vivek Jacob is a freelance sports writer with over seven years experience. During this time, he has written for outlets including The Athletic, Yahoo Sports, Sportsnet, CBC, and Complex. Primarily covering the NBA, Vivek also covers tennis, soccer, and cricket.
All posts by Vivek JacobUpdated39 mins ago on July 31, 2025
Luka Doncic was already looking to make significant changes to improve his fitness level while with the Dallas Mavericks. This is according to a report by Dan Woike for The Athletic.
There has been a recent reveal in Men’s Health magazine of Doncic’s training and diet changes over the course of this summer. As a result, many have speculated that Doncic has been scorned by Mavericks trading him and is on a mission to prove Dallas GM Nico Harrison wrong.
Harrison gave several indications that his reasoning for moving on from Doncic had plenty to do with the Slovenian’s fitness level and lack of commitment to defense.
Doncic has credited Anze Macek and Javier Barrio as the two people primarily in charge of turning around his physique. He has been working with both of them, though, since 2023.
Sources in Doncic’s inner circle believe that his lack of fitness in 2024-25 had more to do with a busy summer. A run to the NBA Finals was followed by representing Slovenia in an attempt to qualify for the Olympics that fell short.
With a first round exit for the Los Angeles Lakers, Doncic took a whole month off basketball. It appears likely he will be ready to show off how much his training has aided him at EuroBasket. That will be at the end of August.
Doncic Set For Best Season Yet?
If this is indeed the fittest version of Doncic we’ve seen, the Lakers may be in for an absolute treat.
Doncic is already viewed as one of the five best players in the game. He’s a triple-double machine who scores effortlessly. Adding another gear to his game through increased efficiency or availability will get him back in the top three conversation.
That debate is currently reserved for Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
After a mediocre offseason for the Lakers as a team, they can use all the internal growth they can get.
The Lakers went 18-10 with Doncic last season. They were defeated in five games by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs.
