Luka Doncic. Image via: Ezra Shaw/ Getty Images
Luka Doncic reported to Lakers training camp at 242 pounds, two fewer than a year ago, according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic. 21. A hamstring strain wiped out the Lakers star’s playoffs last spring, and the 27-year-old now heads into a ninth NBA season with plenty to prove. Luka Doncic is officially listed at 242 pounds. Buha reported the figure this week, and it is a modest drop from the 244 pounds Doncic carried into last year’s camp. The guard has been working on his conditioning since the summer of 2025 and even appeared on the cover of Men’s Health last year. Doncic led the league with 33.5 points per game, a second scoring title, yet played only 64 regular season games. Still, he sees a resemblance to the 2023-24 Mavericks now that center Walker Kessler is in place. Doncic led that Dallas team to 50 wins and a trip to the Finals. Last season Doncic averaged 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists on top of the scoring title, then finished fourth in the final MVP rankings behind Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic and Wembanyama. “I don’t want to talk about MVP until at least 50 games into the season.
An earlier offseason report said the six-time All-Star is about as lean as in the early years of an NBA career. “I keep the same rule that I kept when I worked for media,” Redick said. The number lands at an awkward time. NBA general managers gave Doncic zero MVP votes in a new preseason survey, and Los Angeles opens against Golden State on Oct. LeBron James has left for Philadelphia. A fresh group of role players has arrived. Small number, long project. With James gone, Doncic is the clear lead in Los Angeles, so the work matters. The Lakers are optimistic, but not all of it rests on firm ground. Golliver pointed to last season’s sweep in the conference semifinals, the surprise ownership change in August and two open spots in the starting lineup at the start of camp. On continuity, he wrote, the Lakers “clearly trail behind most of the leading title favorites. Those Mavs began the year with the 11th-shortest title odds, then added Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington in midseason trades. The injury drove that slide. The Lakers coach kept the answer short. This season, Doncic may finally grab his deserved MVP title.