Jazz -Aluin says the quiet part aloud about Luka Doncic

There has been a lot of hype around Luka Doncic and his new physique. Doncic is already one of the best players in the NBA, so his closed body can be a huge break for the Los Angeles Lakers. Utah Jazz Alum Kyle Collinsworth said something that everyone should keep in mind this season about Doncic: he must prove that he can keep his closed figure.

Collinsworth said that literally did not, but he compared Doncic’s new physique with Ben Simmons’ training videos outside the season made three of them.

For the context, Simmons would be confronted with regular criticism of his outright refusal to shoot three for years. To try to silence the doubters, there would always be offseason training videos where he showed off his three -point shot. This tradition only continued this summer.

The dirty little secret is that Simmons can actually make three-point shots, but choose not to do when he takes the floor in the NBA because he has no confidence to take them. The fact that Simmons can hit them in an empty gym does not mean that he can automatically do the same if he is confronted with an NBA defense.

Although losing Doncic is not exactly the same as the three -point mental block of Simmons, it is not far from the same problem. The words of Collinsworth emphasize that although the Lakers star can come in shape, it remains a completely different beast.

That’s because it’s true. There have been NBA players who are struggling with weight problems that are in excellent form, but when the season starts, they struggle for some reason to keep their good shape all season. Doncic is not exactly under the same umbrella, because he simply never took his conditioning. It is now only exposed as a problem.

Karl Malone vs. Charles Barkley Debate is a good example of Doncic’s problem

Recently the debate about who was better between Malone and Barkley when Richard Jefferson said that Malone was the best NBA player who never won a title. Regardless of who was better, what cannot be denied between the two parties, is that the prime of Malone lasted longer.

That’s because Malone took his conditioning seriously from start to finish, while Barkley is struggling with maintaining his weigh during his career. When Malone won his first MVP in 1997, Barkley finished 16th in MVP voices. Malone then won another in 1999, while Barkley was on his way to the competition.

That is the problem with stars that do not take their physical fitness seriously on a consistent basis. Their teams do not reach their full potential or their prime numbers are being demolished. Barkley was perhaps more talented than Malone, but Malone stayed with the best of the competition for as long as possible.

Doncic will have the same challenge for the rest of his career. Good for him for committing a more difficult training regime and a strict diet, but Collinsworth is right to point out that the Lakers star now has to prove that it will stay that way.