Luka Doncic's conditioning—or lack thereof—was frequently cited as a reason that Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison made the deeply unpopular decision to trade his superstar guard to the Los Angeles Lakers. Doncic's first few months with the Lakers delivered some impressive moments, but the team flamed out in just five games in the first round of the playoffs against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Unfortunately for Magic Johnson and the legions of L.A. faithful, the West isn't getting any easier, and Lakers star LeBron James isn't getting any younger. The young Oklahoma City Thunder looks like they will be a factor for years to come, and other teams with young stars like the Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves and San Antonio Spurs have incredible potential.
During a discussion about the Lakers on First Take with Stephen A. Smith, Johnson laid out the situation for Doncic: Every Lakers superstar is expected to deliver a championship, and the Western Conference is too good for him to not show up in top physical form. (The conversation begins around the 20:30 mark in the video below.)
“Luka gotta understand this is not Dallas," Johnson said after letting out an exasperated sigh. "To your point, Kobe ... superstar who led us, Shaq led us to a championship, LeBron led us."
"Leadership," Smith chimed in, and Johnson agreed that is the big question for the Luka-led Lakers.
"And that’s what’s missing here. We shouldn’t have to tell you to be in shape, you should have been about that, right? Especially [when] you’re a superstar. So this is gonna be an important year for the Lakers, important offseason for the Lakers. And we have got to get better and look at the championship. Always look at the Finals, it's going to tell you what you have to do in the offseason."
Los Angeles should still feel great about landing a player the caliber of Doncic, but Johnson clearly buys into the concerns about his training regemin.
While it certainly appears that Doncic has been putting in work since the Lakers were eliminated based on some recent pictures, we won't know for sure until the team begins its preparation for the 2025–26 season.
As Doncic prepares for his first full season in purple and gold, Johnson has made the expectations for the 26-year-old abundantly clear.
