12-07-2021, 03:27 PM
If we are comparing Dirk and Luka, it's not even close. 2012 after the championship was the only time I ever heard conditioning/game shape being an issue for Dirk. Every other season, he was as peak of an athlete as you could ask for. It was an era where star players were getting heavy minutes too...Dirk was averaging 38 minutes/game for like 5-6 seasons.
At the same age Luka is now - when you are that young in your career, conditioning should never be an issue. Once you start losing your youthfulness/peak athleticism, that's when the big issues arrive if you don't take care of your body because not only will it affect your game but your ability to get on the floor (injuries will be more common). Dirk was always well-conditioned and with that comes durability. He never missed many games and that was a big reason why they won 50 games for 10 years.
Shaq is the only player I can recall that was able to withstand those issues but that was because he was the most physical/dominant force in the game. If he had managed to take care of his body and weight like he was in Orlando, it's scary to think he could have been even greater.
At the same age Luka is now - when you are that young in your career, conditioning should never be an issue. Once you start losing your youthfulness/peak athleticism, that's when the big issues arrive if you don't take care of your body because not only will it affect your game but your ability to get on the floor (injuries will be more common). Dirk was always well-conditioned and with that comes durability. He never missed many games and that was a big reason why they won 50 games for 10 years.
Shaq is the only player I can recall that was able to withstand those issues but that was because he was the most physical/dominant force in the game. If he had managed to take care of his body and weight like he was in Orlando, it's scary to think he could have been even greater.
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