Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic looks like he has been eating well over the past few months.
Eagle-eyed fans couldn’t help but notice something a little different about Doncic when the preseason commenced this past week.
Doncic’s postgame interview from the Dallas Mavericks’ showdown against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday offered an alternate view of his potential weight gain.
Fans were split on how serious it actually was.
Potential weight gain notwithstanding, Doncic looked solid in his team’s 112-102 victory over the Bucks this weekend. He started the game off very slowly, going 1-of-7 in the first quarter. However, after returning to the outing in the second quarter, he quickly found his rhythm.
By halftime he had amassed 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, two rebounds, and four assists. He did not end up playing in the second half.
“It was kind of weird, the beginning,” Doncic said after the game.
“We’ve been practicing like what? Five, six days a week? That’s not a lot of time to practice together. At first, I think it felt weird, but that’s why we have those preseason games so we get together and make us better.”
That said, the 21-year-old was very pleased with how his group looked on defense.
“I think we did a great job,” he said.
“Milwaukee is one of the top teams in the NBA. We don’t have a lot of time, and we just got to keep going like that and keep practicing.”
Heading into this season, the Mavericks currently find themselves behind the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Bucks, Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors when it comes to 2021 title odds.
Interesting shirt choice by Katya Elise Henry. https://t.co/tPbxpgGkbI
— Game 7 (@game7__) December 14, 2020
Doncic, meanwhile, is the odds-on favorite to claim the regular season MVP trophy.
Will Doncic’s apparent weight gain have an impact on the chase for either of those accolades?
Time will tell.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
