Luka Doncic has been one of the best players in the NBA since the day he first stepped onto the court. Currently his Dallas Mavericks are 40-25 through 65 games and sit fifth in the Western Conference – just 1.5 games back of the fourth-place Utah Jazz.
Doncic’s skillset is incredible.
That said, he comes with one big flaw.
That flaw? His conditioning.
This week, ESPN spoke with 15 NBA executives and league scouts. They asked about six up-and-coming star floor generals in the league and what the general temperature in the room about them was.
Two major takeaways emerged: Doncic is both the most talented option available, and also one of the most concerning.
On the positive side of things, Doncic emerged from the survey with 11 out of a possible 15 first-place votes regarding which point guard the surveyed group would want to build around. That’s the good news.
The bad news, however, is that his weight woes continue to be fresh in people’s minds.
“I would probably put Luka ahead of Ja big picture, but I’ll put Ja ahead because of Luka’s conditioning [worries] every offseason,” one anonymous exec said. “Luka’s more talented, but I like Ja’s approach more.”
That being said, Doncic’s talent was viewed as beyond reproach.
“Luka is by himself,” a West executive said, “a generational talent, while Ja is having an unbelievable season.”
Paige kept it real. https://t.co/8gO0TGLONW
— Game 7 (@game7__) March 9, 2022
Doncic’s conditioning has been a known issue. Even Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has spoken out about it.
Will the 23-year-old finally take the feedback to heart and get serious about it at some point in the foreseeable future?
Time will tell.
Related: Kevin Durant’s Backhanded Excuse For James Harden’s Exit
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