Lakers' Luka Doncic Reportedly Made 'Commitment' to Extra Conditioning After Trade
Luka Dončić's pregame routine includes taking three half-court shots, with some incentives baked into the practice—if he makes one of them, the Los Angeles Lakers' assistants out on the court do pushups, per ESPN's Dave McMenamin, but if he misses all three he does the pushups or body squats himself.
McMenamin continued:
"It's a small example of Dončić seeking comfort and routine in a season void of either. But it was a response to the whispers about him coming out of the trade—a commitment to squeezing in extra conditioning after joining the Lakers with a strained left calf that sidelined him for five-and-a-half weeks, sources told ESPN.
"His game-day routine starts at 9 a.m. with bodywork, shots, weightlifting and a cold tub plunge, sources said. Maintaining his pregame routine, fun though it is, was a sign, one source said, of Dončić recognizing the sooner he got back to peak form with his new team, the sooner the Lakers could reach their full potential."
The report follows JJ Redick's comments after the Lakers' five-game series loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round, when he seemed to cryptically call out Dončić's conditioning, which, of course, was also reportedly one of the issues the Dallas Mavericks had with Dončić before trading him.
"I'll start with the offseason and the work that's required in an offseason to be in championship shape," L.A.'s head coach told reporters Thursday. "And we have a ways to go as a roster. And certainly, there are individuals that were in phenomenal shape. There's certainly other ones that could have been in better shape. That's where my mind goes immediately is we have to get in championship shape."
The Lakers didn't get worked by the Wolves solely because of Dončić's conditioning, of course. This was a roster initially built around LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and the Lakers simply didn't have the time to build it around Dončić's skill set after acquiring him ahead of the trade deadline.
The Lakers, lacking an impact center, got killed in the paint by the Wolves. Expect them to aggressively pursue a rim-running, rim-protecting center this summer, much as they did when they traded for Mark Williams before cancelling the deal over his physical.
Adding more 3-and-D wings would help as well. Players like Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith are solid pieces around James and Dončić, but the Lakers didn't have much quality depth beyond that group.
It will be an offseason of change in Los Angeles. The Lakers will hope that includes Dončić improving his offseason conditioning program.
