{"id":361727,"date":"2025-10-23T18:38:16","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T18:38:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/361727\/"},"modified":"2025-10-23T18:38:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T18:38:16","slug":"how-will-luka-doncics-leaner-physique-affect-his-nba-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/361727\/","title":{"rendered":"How Will Luka Don\u010di\u0107’s Leaner Physique Affect His NBA Season?"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE NBA SEASON is underway, and one player we\u2019re keeping an eye on is Luka Don\u010di\u0107<\/a> of the Los Angeles Lakers. Don\u010di\u0107 appeared on the digital cover of Men\u2019s Health earlier this year, with some noticeable changes to his physique. <\/p>\n

Pictures of the NBA superstar from previous seasons and now show a leaner and toned appearance. While the 26-year-old hasn\u2019t directly said he\u2019s lost weight, it\u2019s likely he undertook some type of calorie restriction during the off-season. \u201cHe\u2019s a professional athlete, he has to do a lot of physical activity, training etc,\u201d explains exercise physiologist and strength coach Dr. Pat Davidson<\/a>. \u201cYou\u2019re not going to lose significant weight unless there\u2019s some dietary manipulation.\u201d<\/p>\n

How will his new shape affect his chances at dominating the current season? Well that depends on exactly how he trained to get into this shape.<\/a> In the latest Strong Talk episode, MH\u2019s fitness director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S.<\/a> and Dr. Pat Davidson<\/a> break down how Luka Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s new body composition can impact his gameplay.<\/p>\n

Will This Be Luka Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s Best Season Yet? Here\u2019s Our Take.\"Play\"mh\"<\/p>\n

On one hand, the leaner physique might make it easier for Don\u010di\u0107 to get up and down the court. Research shows when athletes lose body weight and body fat, their ability to move themselves through spaces gives their performance a significant boost. \u201cModern basketball is a track meet. He\u2019s going to have to go up and down the court and he\u2019s gonna be able to do that a lot more effectively,\u201d says Davidson. <\/p>\n

However, Samuel points out the importance of bulk in sports. Luka Don\u010di\u0107 is someone who is used to playing a certain way and knows his body awareness to move very well. While Don\u010di\u0107 wasn\u2019t always the quickest, he was best at using his bulky build to strategically position himself on the court. Now he doesn\u2019t have that bulk and, in a sense, will need to recondition his body.<\/p>\n

Another consideration is how much Don\u010di\u0107 dedicated to maintenance level training. Samuel explains that it\u2019s a common occurrence among pitchers. If you go in and spend three months and not play your sports and then go back to it, you\u2019re going to have to relearn your new body.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would never want a professional athlete to completely abandon doing their sport,\u201d Davidson says. \u201cIf you do it once a week you would hold the memory so much more crisply as compared to zero times.\u201d Even a low-level effort to do some sport-specific training would help hold on to that ability. In Don\u010di\u0107’s case, his off-season maintenance training included a couple lifts, speed works, and shooting.<\/p>\n

Of course, training requires some time in the weight room. Basketball is a very bouncy and explosive sport so building strength is necessary to keep muscle tissue supportive and resilient while playing. That doesn\u2019t mean you need to be the strongest man in the weight room. <\/p>\n

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Kelsey Grant\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re going to be a basketball player we cannot develop your weight room strength to the 99th percentile of your genetic capacity,\u201d Davidson explains. \u201cIt would greatly compromise the other physical attributes you would need to be excellent at basketball like speed, agility, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lifting weights is still important to give stress and stimulus to muscle tissue. However, another important factor is how much effort was spent prioritizing non-physical activities like sleep, which is critical for basketball players who have hectic travel schedules.<\/p>\n

Ultimately what Don\u010di\u0107 has done in transforming his body will make a huge difference on and off the court. \u201cEven if it doesn’t make a difference in his playing days, afterwards all the discipline he built in this period is going to translate to a lot of gains and overall health,\u201d Samuel says.
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So far, Don\u010di\u0107 is off to a promising start despite a groin injury and narrow loss to the Golden State Warriors in the season opener. He dropped 43 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists. How will his body hold up for the rest of the season? Only time will tell.<\/p>\n

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Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, MS is the associate health & fitness for Men’s Health and has previously written for CNN, Scientific American, Popular Science, and National Geographic before joining the brand. When she’s not working, she’s doing circus arts or working towards the perfect pull-up.<\/p>\n