A Mavericks fan’s guide to Luka Doncic’s upcoming Slovenia vs. Greece game

Luka Doncic remains very committed in his preparation for the Dallas Mavericks' upcoming training camp this September. But the 24-year-old superstar is also uber-competitive in his pursuit of a gold medal either in the World Cup or Olympics for his home country of Slovenia, which has a population of just over 2 million people.

Doncic has notably even desired to bring home a World Cup or Olympic gold medal to his home country of Slovenia more than an NBA championship to Dallas because of how much more sentimental value it would hold for him.

A Mavericks fan’s guide to Luka Doncic’s upcoming Slovenia vs. Greece game

Some Mavericks fans have been critical of Doncic’s time spent with the national team through Olympic and World Cup qualifying games that he’s played with the Slovenian national team in nearly every summer since he stepped foot in Dallas.

Because of the egregious, year-round workload that both the NBA and national stage combine to command out of Doncic, fans worry it may catch up to him via injury, or that it’s the reason Dončić will never come into a Dallas training camp in ideal shape.

However, one could argue the inverse is true. Given his age, Doncic should be getting as much time playing time on the national stage as possible. It certainly helps him stay in game shape during the off-season, and eventually the money that the NBA delivers to a player of his caliber will likely win him over in the ladder years of his career.

Once he starts to weigh the risk versus the reward of playing for the Slovenian national team every summer, just as Dirk Nowitzki did with Germany later in his career, Doncic may likely tone it down later in his career on the national stage anyway.

Also, if he’s evaluating whether to prioritize his health over playing for the national team or not, Mavs fans will have nothing to worry about. He is on record after a quarter-final loss to Poland at EuroBasket 2022, saying that he'll play for Slovenia for as long as he can, but only if his health permits.

"I will return. I would always represent my country. If I'm healthy, I will always play for Slovenia."

Luka Doncic

The Mavericks were hopeful Doncic could rekindle what the organization deemed his ideal playing weight to be throughout the offseason.

Many Mavericks fans have also deemed Doncic to have peaked in the NBA bubble in terms of his explosion toward the rim, ability to blow past defenders, and stamina after being able to train and condition himself distraction-free for nearly five months when the NBA shut down in March of 2020.

Doncic seems to be trending back towards that level of conditioning and athleticism, as he can be seen here getting up easily for a reverse dunk in Slovenian team practice. 

Something like this was seldom to be seen from Doncic in pre-game warm-ups over the past two seasons in Dallas.

Game preview, and why you should follow Luka Doncic's World Cup run with the Slovenian national team

We’ll see Doncic on display today, August 2, at 1:30 PM central time, along with fellow countrymen and NBA Champion from the Denver Nuggets, Vlatko Cancar. Slovenia will take on Greece in a World Cup preparation game at Stozice Hall in Luka’s hometown of Ljubljana. 

Slovenia will then travel to Greece on August 4th to face them once again as the two squads cap off a home and home in Athens.

Unfortunately, Giannis Antetounkumpo won't play in either of the affairs due to a cleanup procedure he underwent on his knee in early July. But the Greece national team doesn’t pose as an unworthy opponent to the Doncic-lead Slovenian squad.

There aren't currently any ways for people living in the United States to watch the Slovenia versus Greece game today, but you always have your slew of options on the internet you can try if you want to venture out.

We would encourage anyone passionate enough to keep up with the highlights that will likely be accessible on YouTube and Twitter once the game is over if one is looking to still get a glimpse of the game.

How Luka Doncic's World Cup performance could be a preview for what's to come

Doncic will look to translate his newfound athleticism from his weight loss this summer into World Cup play after the Mavericks missed the NBA playoffs and Play-In entirely last season, allowing him to ramp up his conditioning early.

In a press conference for the Slovenian Basketball Federation, via SportKlub, Doncic accredits his trainer Anze Macek for his body leaning out this offseason.

"I feel better this year. It can also be seen. Anze Macek chased and pushed me well. Praise him."

Luka Doncic

Doncic's improved conditioning and athletic ability could be easily translatable to the court, and given that it is perhaps the best shape we've seen him in since he entered the league, Mavericks fans should be encouraged by the stylistic changes that Luka's offensive and defensive games may see as he could become a benefactor from him getting faster and in better shape.

Mavericks fans should pay a keen eye to how Luka Doncic's ability to drive and beat defenders off the dribble improves, how he could potentially push the ball in transition more, as well as if he takes fewer possessions off on defense during World Cup play if fans hope to get a prelude to how Doncic's lost weight could translate to the NBA regular season.

Questions could arise regarding Doncic potentially losing lower body strength amidst cutting weight, but his regiment seems to have been long and drawn out as photos on social media bode credence to the fact that he looks to still have maintained a good amount of muscle mass.

All of this will be showcased within Slovenia's World Cup preparation games, which will range from now up until August 26, when World Cup tournament play will then kickoff for Slovenia and Luka Doncic as they will face off against Venezuela in the first stage of Group F play in their first game.

How Luka Doncic fares in these games over the next month or so could be very telling to what the Mavericks' ceiling could be next year.

If Doncic comes in looking like an other-worldly version of himself next year because he's in better shape and continues to improve around the margins, Mavericks fans could be in for a fun season, so make sure to keep up with him and Slovenia all summer.