Mavs’ Luka Doncic admits having conditioning issues

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic was criticized at the TNT broadcast of the Mavericks’ 102-99 loss to the Brooklyn Nets for his conditioning, with announcer Reggie Miller saying he was moving slowly and needed to lose weight.

“To me, looking at him, this is the heaviest I’ve probably ever seen Luka,” Miller said.

The criticism came as Doncic led the team with 28 points, six rebounds, and nine assists during the game.

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Doncic: I've got to do better

The two-time NBA All-Star responded to the comments after the game, and acknowledged that he could be in better shape. “People are going to talk about it, yes or no,” he said. “I know I’ve got to do better.” It was not the first time for Doncic's weight to make headlines.

“I had a long summer.I had the Olympics, took three weeks off, relaxed a little bit. Maybe too much. I’ve just got to get back on track,” the 22-year-old said.

He steered the Slovenian national team to a historic fourth-place finish in its first Olympic Games.

According to ESPN sources, Doncic reported to the team’s training camp tipping the scales at 260 pounds. He is listed on the NBA website as weighing 230.

Suffering from sprains

Any attempt by Doncic to get in tiptop shape has been derailed by injuries. He sprained his left knee and ankle at the same time on November 15, causing him to miss the next three games. He also had to sit out Saturdays’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies because of soreness in his left ankle.

Dallas lost all the games that Doncic missed.

The 2019 Rookie of the Year has logged an average of 25.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 8.5 assists for the Mavericks, who currently have an 11-12 win-loss card.