The easy (and very logical) assumption is that Luka's presence makes LA a title contender, almost by himself. But is that enough?
One qualifier is his health (not just off-season conditioning) and that is subject to what he does during the season too.
Another is the team around him. If it's meh, he can only do so much. See his team this summer. In LA, however, LeBron is also there, so it doesnt take all that much more to consider them a real threat. You really need 2 top players who will each be available for the vast majority of 100 games, and once that's a given, you're probably going a long ways.
I do think that Luka getting in better shape will help him, but if it's not accompanied by a desire to expand and sharpen his game skills in various areas, I question his ability to truly dominate the NBA (which he has the building blocks to do).
How? In particular, making a higher pct of 3s and FTs (in fact an elite shooting pct), opening his arsenal to play without the ball in his hands (including passing the ball ahead on the break rather than forcing the pace to only be at his personal speed up the court), using his size and length to become a superior defender, and letting go of the constant whining that takes him out of so many plays (especially on defense). I think he has the capacity for all of those, because he is big, skilled, and smart, but not sure he has the aptitude to pursue those better game habits, which leaves him as a brilliant one man show filling up the stat box, but lowers his impact and dominance.
I would have loved to see Luka still a Mav and each year we keep seeing those improvements emerging with more and more improvement. I think this coming season, after he has worked harder in the summer, will help us see whether the game habits will be changed too, where his potential for dominance can begin to turn the corner, as the better conditioning will NOT by itself change any game habits. That has to come from within Luka, and he's done very well with doing it his way to this point, so does he even see a need for change in THOSE areas? Or will he still be showing the same game habits as always, only with better stamina? Will be interesting.
One qualifier is his health (not just off-season conditioning) and that is subject to what he does during the season too.
Another is the team around him. If it's meh, he can only do so much. See his team this summer. In LA, however, LeBron is also there, so it doesnt take all that much more to consider them a real threat. You really need 2 top players who will each be available for the vast majority of 100 games, and once that's a given, you're probably going a long ways.
I do think that Luka getting in better shape will help him, but if it's not accompanied by a desire to expand and sharpen his game skills in various areas, I question his ability to truly dominate the NBA (which he has the building blocks to do).
How? In particular, making a higher pct of 3s and FTs (in fact an elite shooting pct), opening his arsenal to play without the ball in his hands (including passing the ball ahead on the break rather than forcing the pace to only be at his personal speed up the court), using his size and length to become a superior defender, and letting go of the constant whining that takes him out of so many plays (especially on defense). I think he has the capacity for all of those, because he is big, skilled, and smart, but not sure he has the aptitude to pursue those better game habits, which leaves him as a brilliant one man show filling up the stat box, but lowers his impact and dominance.
I would have loved to see Luka still a Mav and each year we keep seeing those improvements emerging with more and more improvement. I think this coming season, after he has worked harder in the summer, will help us see whether the game habits will be changed too, where his potential for dominance can begin to turn the corner, as the better conditioning will NOT by itself change any game habits. That has to come from within Luka, and he's done very well with doing it his way to this point, so does he even see a need for change in THOSE areas? Or will he still be showing the same game habits as always, only with better stamina? Will be interesting.
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