Ex-Cleveland Cavaliers star addresses major concern surrounding Luka Doncic ahead of his Los Angeles Lakers debut | NBA News
The Los Angeles Lakers hit a jackpot at the cost of Anthony Davis as they have Luka Doncic on the roster now. While analysts have been close to unanimous regarding their opinion on the Lakers’ benefit from the trade with the Dallas Mavericks, former Cleveland Cavaliers star Brendan Haywood shared his concern over Doncic joining LeBron James and Co. He believes that Doncic has been far away from developing his championship habit despite his astonishing performances over the years and this could be a red flag in the Lakers.
Brendan Haywood spills beans on Luka Doncic’s red flag that might come into the Los Angeles Lakers way
Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, Luka Doncic, and head coach JJ Redick. Image via: Jae C. Hong/AP
The Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis trade created a huge shockwave across the NBA and soon one question popped up in everyone’s mind— why did the Dallas Mavericks trade their young star player?
Brendan Haywood has an answer.
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In Game Time, the former NAB star shared, “Listen when you’re 25, you’ve been First team All-NBA for five straight years in a row and your team trades you like this, they are saying we don’t think you have championship habits.”
He added, “We love what you do offensively but outside of that we don’t love how you don’t take your diet seriously, we don’t love the fact that you don’t get back on defense, we don’t love that you have one of the highest blow by rates in the league, people can’t talk to you. Things of that nature.”
There was growing frustration within the organization over Doncic’s struggles with discipline, particularly when it came to his diet and conditioning. Team sources believed his lack of fitness played a major role in his recurring injuries. While he arrived at training camp in relatively good shape, his weight reportedly climbed into the high 260s early in the season, per ESPN.
In late November, Doncic missed five games, officially due to a sprained right wrist, but sources say the extended break was largely to help him get back in shape. A similar situation happened during the 2022-23 season when he took time off early in the year to focus on conditioning.
Will he be the best fit for the Lakers’ roster alongside LeBron James? That has been another concern and Haywood believes the change is not always inevitable. “I have been on teams where guys didn’t want to change even for LeBron James,” the 45-year-old said.
When I was in Cleveland when I first got there we had a dynamic young backcourt. Those guys didn’t want to change right away because they wanted the ball. Dion Waiters, Kyrie Irving those guys didn’t want to change right away,” he added.
For Doncic, playing alongside James is a dream come true, and his debut in the Lakers would be a significant step in his career. But again, Haywood asserted that the five-time NBA All-Star needs to adjust. “I don’t know if Luka’s going to just start following what LeBron James… I hope he does because in shape Luka would be one of the most scary and most entertaining things to watch in this league,” he concluded.
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Amid Heywood’s concern, Doncic is set to make his highly anticipated debut in the Purple and Gold team. Head coach JJ Redick recently announced that Doncic is set to make his Lakers debut on Monday night against the Utah Jazz.
