We often mocked Luka Doncic for his weight last year, but some declas sometimes have more effect than others. In this case, the words of a Hall of Famer would have had a resounding effect on El Matador, according to his coach Jason Kidd. What push him to work twice as hard in training.
It was known to everyone Luka Doncic tended to let go during the off-season, even if it meant coming back with extra pounds. But the Slovenian tended to push the cork quite far, to the point where we learned last December that he displayed nearly 120 kilos on the scale during training camps. For a player prone to minor injuries like him, it was far from reassuring and a big red flag for his professionalism.
But this year, everything is different since the Mavericks superstar landed at the Eurobasket physically transformed, and has once again settled the debate wildly recently. It must be said that the guy has his little pride as a competitor, and the criticisms of the legends of the game tend to make him reconsider his way of doing things. Jason Kidd revealed that Reggie Miller’s tirade several months ago had been the trigger for her foal:
Doncic stung by Reggie Miller’s comments
“We all saw Luka’s taking his body serious…What I love about Luka is he never runs from opinions. He worked on his body and he took off.”
Jason Kidd on Luka Doncic’s response to a commentator saying he was too heavy 🙌
(via @shobasketball)pic.twitter.com/ZTGyiaeo8M
—ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) October 11, 2022
We have all seen that Luka takes his body seriously. I think during the season Reggie or someone else said they thought it was too heavy. And what I like about Luka is that he never runs away from criticism. So when Reggie said that, he started working on his body like hell.
When we see the physique of the ROY 2019 now, we say to ourselves that the words of the Hall of Famer had really stung him alive!
Dallas certainly won’t complain, though, since it means his franchise player will show up at Opening Night in the best possible conditions. It’s also not a bad thing for the No. 77, who could well challenge for MVP again in 2022-23, having finished fourth in the votes last year. And then, he now has a big status to justify, since the media see him as the best guard in the league:
Bleacher Report ranked Luka Doncic as the No. 1 guard in the NBA 🔥#MFFL pic.twitter.com/vSuTPLKkOX
— MFFL NATION (@NationMffl) October 11, 2022
Luka Doncic listens to what is being said around him, and the harsh remarks about his weight have therefore touched his pride. A blessing in disguise, because the Slovenian is now in Olympic form. Good luck stopping him on the court in a few days!