Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 28 points, six rebounds and nine assists in Tuesday night’s loss to the Nets, but that didn’t excuse him from criticism during the TNT broadcast.
Several times, analyst Reggie Miller commented on Doncic’s weight, fitness and health.
“To me, looking at him, this is the heaviest I’ve probably ever seen Luka look, right now,” Miller said. “And I know he’s had a long year with the Olympics, but look how he’s plodding up and down. He’s not really running.”
Doncic suffered left knee and ankle sprains Nov. 15 and missed the next three games. Coach Jason Kidd said Doncic is still feeling the effects, too, as he missed Saturday’s loss to Memphis with ankle soreness.
The Mavericks listed Doncic as questionable on the injury report before Tuesday’s game with left ankle soreness and a new left thumb sprain designation.
Miller acknowledged Doncic’s recent injury history and the physical grind he endured while leading Slovenia to a historic fourth-place finish during the Tokyo Olympics this summer, but he didn’t view either situation as an excuse.
“You have the keys to the kingdom if you’re Doncic, right?” Miller said. " And he is a superstar, a superstar in the making already. But he could be so much better. And he will get better.
“But to me, he’s got to trim down. He really does. And he’s got to get better defensively, as well.”
Announcer Kevin Harlan added: “We’ve done a couple of these Mavs games and when you’re around the team what you hear is he’s worn out; he’s exhausted... My eyes tell me he’s a little heavier.”
After the game, Doncic responded to the analysts’ comments — which aren’t the first to question his shape during his NBA career.
“I think that’s my thing. People are going to talk about it, yes or no,” Doncic said. “But I know I’ve got to do better. I had a long summer, and then I relax a little bit.
“I had Olympics, took three weeks off and then I said I relax a little bit, maybe too much, and I’ve just got to get back on track.”
Last season, Doncic admitted he started out of shape because he didn’t time his offseason conditioning well with the NBA’s quick announcement and ramp up to the mid-pandemic season. He’s also faced criticism about his weight and build since entering the NBA draft.
Jason Kidd, however, hasn’t noticed a difference in his superstar.
“Well, when I got here, this is who he is, so that’s all I can really say is that this is how I’ve seen Luka,” Kidd said after the game. “With [Miller] to bring that out, maybe they’ve seen him in a different light. That’s all I can really say about that. Different players put on muscle or try to thin out or whatever it may be, so you’re going to have to ask him that.”
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