In case you haven't seen the headlines, superstar Lakers guard Luka Doncic transformed his physique over the offseason, a change primarily notable considering his weight and overall health were said to have played a part in his bombshell trade from the Mavericks in February.
But whether spite-fueled or genuinely needed, you can't deny that, as a pro athlete, Doncic will be better off for having done it. And teammate LeBron James has weighed in with one of the, say, less-headlining reasons why.
Speaking on an episode of the Mind the Game podcast released Wednesday, James shared an underrated way in which Doncic's transformation will help his experience more practically—i.e., his recovery and recovery timeline.
"He just looks, obviously, a little bit quicker, a bit more functional. But I think, more importantly, what a lot of people will not see is the recovery now," James explained. "I think when your body is in top-tier shape and you feel so much better ... it's not like Luka's game is gonna change. It's not like he's not gonna [score a lot]. That's not gonna change. But I think for him, personally, I think what's gonna change for him is he's going to see how he wakes up the next day after three or four nights. He's gonna be like, 'Oh, man.'"
"You've built this up, you've built this body up and now, it's gonna be so beneficial to you and your recovery process and your energy. ... I need to get on his regimen a bit now," James quipped.
Watch that below starting at 20:10:
A good point there. As any athlete will tell you, recovery is just as important as play, and any way in which you can maximize that process in the short window of time between games is typically a thing worth doing.
It'll be very fun watching the new-look Luka in the NBA regular season, which the Lakers will begin by hosting the Warriors at 10 p.m. ET on Oct. 21.
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as LeBron James Shares Underrated Way Luka Doncic's New Look Could Impact Guard.
