Luka Doncic was already enough of a problem for the NBA. But after what he showed in Slovenia this month, ESPN’s Insiders believes there could be another problem for the rest of the league.
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Doncic looked noticeably leaner during the Lakers’ player-organized minicamp in Slovenia, where the team spent five days together from August 20 to 24. The change quickly became a talking point after the Lakers shared workout footage from the trip.
“And I’m just telling you, man, the condition that Luka appears to be in, like, it’s got a chance to be pretty scary,” MacMahon said on The Hoop Collective. Brian Windhorst added that Doncic “does so incredibly well” when changing speed and has “as good of brakes as anybody in the league.”
That assessment comes after a season in which Doncic averaged 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds in 64 games, winning his second scoring title. Now, with LeBron James gone, Doncic enters his first full Lakers season as the team’s clear offensive centerpiece.
“He’s just skinny,” Windhorst said. Lakers footage from the trip showed a noticeably leaner Doncic, with coverage describing him as among the slimmest versions of himself in recent years. There is no verified figure for how much weight he has lost this offseason, and his official listed weight remains 230 pounds.
Gilbert Arenas had a similar reaction to the footage.
“That’s Luka! Y’all in trouble. Laker nation, that leading scorer trophy, is gonna be ours. … If the fat one averaged 32, 33. What you think the skinny one about to average with no LeBron James?” Arenas said.
Doncic has already shown that his scoring does not need a slimmer frame to reach elite levels. He won the scoring title in 2023-24 with 33.9 points per game and did it again in 2025-26, averaging 33.5 points.
The scoring title did not translate into the MVP award, however, as Doncic finished fourth with no first-place votes. His season also ended early after he suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain on April 2, ruling him out for the rest of the regular season and playoffs.
James’ departure has changed the offensive hierarchy in Los Angeles. Doncic is now the clear primary creator and leader of the Lakers, with Austin Reaves remaining alongside him and Jaden Hardy joining the backcourt after previously playing with Doncic in Dallas.
That is where Doncic’s physical change becomes more interesting than a before-and-after photo. His game has long depended on changing speeds, stopping suddenly and using that deceleration to create space for his step-back and passing game. Windhorst specifically pointed to those traits, even comparing elements of Doncic’s movement profile with James Harden’s through past P3 testing.
There is no evidence yet that the leaner Doncic will be faster, more durable or more efficient. But if he can maintain his strength and conditioning, the potential is clear: the Lakers are giving a player who already averaged 33.5 points per game an even larger offensive role.
Doncic will enter the season as the Lakers’ clear offensive centerpiece, looking leaner than he has in recent years after already producing a 33.5-point scoring-title season. Whether the physical change makes him better remains to be seen. For the rest of the NBA, though, that may be the uncomfortable part: Luka was already a problem before this version of him showed up.