04-14-2021, 02:36 PM
(04-14-2021, 01:59 PM)Kammrath Wrote: I think it all comes down to conditioning and shape and Luka is NOT CLOSE to the level of conditioning he needs to be an elite NBA player. He has faded in ALL three of his seasons in pretty significant ways IMO. This is 100% on him not having the diet and work ethic he needs.
I agree Luka faded every season up to now. The judgement is still out on this one, imho. Last two games Luka played well, even according to his standards. Even against Philly defense. As far as fading - the way Mavs use him has something to do with it. You can't expect a player to carry such a weight to not wear down. So this is certainly not 100 % on him. Unfair to say so.
Luka has improved every season as a player, so I think it is very unfair to preach about work ethic. This goes even before speaking about extraordinary circumstances of the last offseason.
This is not about making excuses for him. It is about having reasonable expectations and being fair about players.