Luka Doncic’s strategic reinvention igniting MVP buzz to point of explosion

The Los Angeles Lakers might have just unlocked a cheat code. A new clip of Luka Doncic draining a half-court shot with zero effort is making its rounds around social media.

It is not the shot itself that has got the fans buzzing. It is what he looks like while doing it, which is a super lean athlete looking to secure his get-back.

This version of Luka Doncic should terrify the NBA

If this is the version of Doncic the Lakers get next season, the rest of the league should be on high alert, because they could be in some serious trouble. The last time we saw Doncic in the NBA Playoffs, he did not really look like himself. 

He was still doing Luka things, don't be mistaken. He was hitting impossible shots, finding teammates with wizard-like passes, but the truth is, he looked tired. He was not moving well at times, and you could tell the weight of a long season (and maybe some actual weight) was catching up to him.

Now? He looks like a totally different person. He looks refreshed and recharged and maybe even lighter than he has ever been. That matters. It matters because no one knows what skinny Doncic could have in store.

Doncic has already been in the MVP conversation for what feels like half a decade. He has finished in the top five in MVP voting at least five times. His numbers are out the roof, his impact is clear, but the only thing that has really held him back? Health and conditioning. 

Last year, he played just 50 games between both the Dallas Mavericks and Lakers. It was not enough to qualify for MVP discussions. That being said, even when he was on the floor, he still averaged a whopping 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 7.7 assists. MVP-caliber, no question.

Offseason work confirms Doncic is locked in

Doncic has reportedly been a driving force behind the Lakers landing some key players this offseason, Marcus Smart being the most recent. That is a message that he is buying in.

You can tell that he is trying to build something. He has been doing it while reshaping his body and tightening up the parts of his game that critics love to nitpick, like defense and stamina.

The league already struggles to contain him. A locked-in, fully conditioned version of Doncic? Good luck with that.

Even with all the LeBron James rumors hovering over the Lakers, there is a quiet excitement about what is brewing. Doncic might not just be trying to carry the torch from James; he could be trying to torch the league.