Los Angeles Lakers star guard Luka Dončić’s looks have received a lot of attention this offseason.
More important than the 27-year-old sporting a headband during practice or wearing longer hair than usual is that he looks to be in the best shape of his life.
Lakers coach JJ Redick pointed this out with a hilarious comment when speaking to the media on Monday.
“He’s great physically. The guy worked his butt off all summer, on staying in shape. And actually ran this summer. Like, he actually did like sprints and stuff. Came into camp in fantastic shape,” Redick said of Dončić, per ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
Dončić weight and conditioning has been scrutinized throughout his career, but the Lakers star is currently as lean than he has been since his rookie season.
“For someone who normally plays a ton of live basketball, he didn’t do as much of that this summer, by design,” Redick said.
“And we’ve seen him, literally every day in camp, incrementally getting more and more in rhythm. For him, throughout this preseason, that’s sort of the goal… continuing to build that game shape, and continuing to build his offensive rhythm.”
This emphasis on rest, rhythm, and conditioning paid dividends for Dončić during the Lakers’ 127-103 preseason win against the Sacramento Kings on Monday, as he scored 21 points in 16 minutes of action.
