Luka Doncic Trainer: In-Shape Mavs Star Ready to Take 'Next Step'
How does a 24-year-old basketball phenom with four All-NBA First Team selections in five seasons get better going into his sixth year? Apparently, the answer to that question is taking offseason conditioning to a whole new level.
Despite all of Luka Doncic’s success with the Dallas Mavericks, there has still been criticism over the last few years about the Slovenian sensation not being able to stay in great playing shape — at least by NBA standards — throughout the course of an entire season.
According to Doncic’s Slovenian national team trainer, Anze Macek, there has been a ‘sign of different thinking’ for the 24-year-old this summer, leading to him being ‘well-prepared and better’ for both the FIBA World Cup, which starts on Aug. 25, and the 2023-24 NBA season, where the Mavs will try to get back to the postseason after a disappointing ending to last season’s campaign.
“Shortly after [Luka’s] arrival from Dallas, we had a frank conversation,” Macek told Sportklub. “We realized that the time we have at our disposal is a great advantage. I told him that he can silence all negative and malicious comments for good this summer. He quickly told me that it doesn’t even [bother] him.”
Given disappointing the endings have been for Doncic in both the NBA and international play in his last two outings, he is extremely motivated to right the ship. Doncic looks great in all of his offseason pictures that have been posted to social media, but Macek says there’s a lot more to it than that.
“We don’t work so that it shows in photos. He will have to show good fitness on the field and maintain it,” Macek said. “Even in the USA, he will have to make sure that there are no drops in physical fitness. Therefore, a lot of work awaits him even after the end of the national team campaign. He will have to maintain the way of life he built in Slovenia.”
Although is hard to envision Doncic being much better than he already has been in Dallas, it’s natural to expect some upward trajectory after seeing how seriously he’s attacked his conditioning and diet this summer. The Mavs themselves are excited to see what Doncic can bring to the table this season.
“The goal is key. This is a well-prepared and better Luka Doncic,” Macek said. “In Dallas, they were happy to hear about how seriously he took the job. I repeat, he wants to take a step forward in his sports journey.
“The delegation from Dallas, which visited Ljubljana, was also able to see for itself. Here was not only the head coach Jason Kidd, but also the head of physical therapy and the person responsible for conditioning.”
Not only will the Mavs have a revamped roster awaiting Doncic when he joins the team for training camp following the World Cup – Dallas re-signed Kyrie Irving while adding Grant Williams, Dereck Lively II, OMax Prosper, Seth Curry, Derrick Jones Jr., and others – but perhaps they’ll have a better idea of how to help him maintain his new-and-improved form for an entire season as well.
If that happens, not only will Doncic likely lead the MVP race, but the Mavs will be title contenders, not just playoff hopefuls. And that's what matters to Doncic the most.
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