NBA coach says people should be ‘terrified’ of Luka now: ‘I know I am’

Perhaps Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic took all the criticism he faced regarding his conditioning a season ago to heart.

Much has been made of his body transformation since he was featured in Men’s Health last month, and he looks like a slimmer and fitter version of his former self.

One anonymous NBA coach believes that folks should be “terrified” of the new-look Doncic.

“People should be very terrified,” the coach said, via Heavy Sports.

The coach continued.

“I know I am,” he said of the “terrified” comment. “He was putting up big numbers (28.6 ppg/career) when he was a chunk. I don’t know if he’ll score more, but he’s got to be a better player when he’s in shape. If he was one of the best players in the league as a blob, you have to figure he’s going to be able to push it even more now. If nothing else, his stamina’s going to be a lot better, and that’s really important as the season goes along and you get into the playoffs. I think there’s a much better chance he doesn’t break down and go through some of the injuries he’s had in the past.

“But I would be terrified. That guy in shape? That’s scary. I saw those pictures. That’s scary. Luka not in shape was amazing. Now? I think it’s going to be frightening for the rest of the league.”

Doncic was hampered by injury woes a season ago, and some argued that his lackluster conditioning played a part. He missed an extended period of time with a calf strain and was limited to just 50 games played with the Lakers and Dallas Mavericks in the 2024-25 regular season.

The idea that Doncic possibly has another level he could reach as a player should strike fear into the hearts of opposing teams. As the anonymous coach mentioned, Doncic was one of the premier scorers in all of the NBA before he put in all that work into his body, and maybe the Slovenian will be even more difficult to stop now that he appears to be in great shape.

Doncic’s conditioning work this offseason may also help him improve on the less glamorous end of the floor. He has far more room for improvement on defense than he does on offense, and he has a shaky playoff track record on that side of the floor. This could be a positive step.

He certainly is hoping that the work he’s putting in this summer will have him physically prepared to lead the Lakers deep into the 2026 NBA Playoffs. The Lakers are trying to win their 18th title in franchise history next year after they got eliminated by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

It’s been a little while since L.A. advanced past the first round, something that needs to change.