Luka Doncic's transformation gives Lakers the gift Mavericks fans always wanted

One thing Dallas Mavericks fans can live stress-free about is regarding Luka Doncic playing EuroBasket for the Slovenian National team late into the summer. Mavericks fans have always been wary of this extra mileage Doncic accrues playing for his home country, but this is obviously now the Los Angeles Lakers' issue following the trade.

Doncic got into what looks like the best shape he's been in since his rookie season this summer, and while this has Lakers fans hyped as ever with Doncic preparing to wreck the league this summer, they also bear the same fear Mavericks fans did following a scary knee contusion that Doncic suffered in a recent exhibition game.

However, luckily for Doncic and Lakers fans, this doesn't project to be anything serious, and Doncic will enter next season healthy so long as he doesn't suffer another injury ahead of training camp. Who knows whether playing in EuroBasket nearly every year will be a detriment to Doncic's longevity when it's all said and done, but one thing that is for certain is that Doncic is playing differently stylistically, as the lost weight and increased conditioning have already led to him being a more explosive player for Slovenia.

Luka Doncic's refound athleticism could bring back the dunks

Slovenian forward Edo Muric has noticed the difference in Doncic's athleticism just through practice and some of Slovenia's preliminary matchups thus far. "He's faster and jumps more," Muric told BasketNews. "This year, I expect him to be the best version of himself."

Muric's anecdotes can be seen on the court as well, as Doncic has been much more active defensively (even if it isn't NBA competition), and has even had plays such as a baseline post-up spin move into a two-handed dunk. Up until the 2022-23 season, the number of dunks Doncic had completed in each year since his rookie season (he had 25 his first season) had been steadily declining.

In Doncic's last two seasons, he's only had three total dunks, and while part of this could be attributed to him simply taking a more conservative approach at the rim considering how much he has the ball in his hands, a dunk unequivocally guarantees two points and Doncic has had plenty of opportunities to dunk more over the last few seasons given he's nearly 6-foot-8.

By no means is Doncic unathletic, even at a higher playing weight, as he has some of the best stop-and-start motion and deceleration in the entire league. However, Doncic being too heavy clearly holds a crutch on his athleticism, and if he can balance the totem pole by being a little lighter to get increased speed and verticality, it could undoubtedly lead to him being more dynamic offensively than fans and analysts have ever seen him.

Skeptics will be quick to point out that Doncic losing too much weight could actually have negative ripple effects on the physicality he plays with offensively, like when he posts up offensively, for instance. However, Doncic looks to have more of a muscular frame than anything, so it seems he's finding the perfect equilibrium here, as he's stronger, yet potentially even just as athletic as his first few seasons in the league. While Lakers fans can rejoice at this, Mavericks fans were always looking for this from Doncic in Dallas, and it's terribly unfortunate they won't get to see this revamped version of him on display next season.