The Los Angeles Lakers formally introduced Luka Doncic as the newest member of the team in a surreal Tuesday morning press conference. Doncic spoke about the shock of being traded and wondering if it was April Fool’s, and how the last 48 hours have felt like a month as he processes the sudden change.
As soon as the trade news broke, the spin began from the Mavericks side as they tried desperately to explain why they were trading a 25-year-old superstar. Much of that has focused on Doncic’s conditioning, as he’s always looked a bit pudgy compared to most of the NBA’s elite, but what those critiques seem to ignore is the fact that Doncic has always been dominant on the floor.
While Doncic was the headliner of the trade, he isn’t the only player making the move from Dallas to L.A., as Markieff Morris returns to the Lakers as part of the deal. He was also on hand Tuesday at the Lakers facility and spoke with the media after Doncic’s presser, and was asked for his thoughts on the conditioning talk surrounding Luka and noted his confusion by it all (video here via Tomer Azerly).
“He’s a great guy, man. Super low maintenance, don’t need much,” Morris said. “One of the only guys I’ve been on a team with that’ll play through any injury if he can get on the court. I hear stuff about him not being in shape, but if you can go in an NBA game and get 30, 15, and 10, then I don’t know what shape is. I’m confused at that part. Yeah, you’ll see it really soon.”
Now, you wouldn’t expect a guy who is still teammates with Doncic to bury him, so it’s not a surprise he’s voicing his support for Luka, but that last part is the thing most fans can’t get out of their head either and it’s nice to see an NBA player also saying it. Doncic has averaged 28/8/8 for his career and regularly flirts with huge triple-doubles. If that guy is “out of shape” then I, like Morris, am not sure what in shape even means.
At the same time, there are certainly valid questions to be had about whether Doncic could maximize his immense talents more by being in better shape, but he definitely doesn’t seem to be on the verge of becoming a disaster. And the truth is, we’ve seen star players in similar positions before. A lot of NBA stars can naturally dominate early in their careers while eating whatever they want and partying and all of that, but as they get older they learn how to better take care of themselves and find that balance. Doncic, who is about to turn 26, probably will have to go on that same journey, but given his talent and apparent competitive fire, it seems odd the Mavs decided to bank on him not figuring that part out — which is why many have posited something else has to have been part of this decision.
