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Luka Doncic was not named a starter in this season's NBA All-Star Game and the criticism around his weight has appeared to humble the Dallas Mavericks superstar. Billionaire team owner Mark Cuban recently spoke about Doncic's changed training regimen and how the 22-year-old has been extra motivated lately.
Cuban was a guest on Sportsradio 96.7 The Ticket, on the show The Musers after the All-Star game where he discussed Luka Doncic and the star's newfound discipline.
"I think he was humbled a little bit. I think he didn’t like being called out for his weight and other things, and it finally clicked that there’s a level of discipline that’s required."
Cuban added that he has seen this from star athletes before, where a player suddenly has to consider making changes to their life. Especially when things don't go according to what the player expects once they're in the league.
"All athletes at his level go through it at some level...where things are just easy and you're always used to being the best and you're always used to getting all the accolades and then when something doesn't go according to what you had expected, it makes you reconsider."
Luka Doncic is averaging 35.4 points, 10.3 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game since the All-Star starters were announced. With 30/10/10 shooting splits, while shooting 43% from downtown on nearly 10 attempts per game. It is evident that he is on a mission this season and he took the All-Star starter snub personally.
He has dropped 12 double-doubles, seven triple-doubles, ten 30-point games, five 40-point games and one 51-point outing since returning from injury in January. The Dallas Mavericks are 18-6 in that span.
Mark Cuban suggests Luka Doncic knows what he is doing and the rest of the league should watch out
Mark Cuban is certain his talisman is on the right track. After a slow start to the season, Luka Doncic has picked up the pace and is showing extra dedication off the court. As mentioned above, he has had a lot of motivation of late to prove a lot of people wrong.
He is certainly heading towards being a Western Conference starter next season and is reportedly going to get in All-Star shape soon enough.
He has changed his training regimen, diet and lifestyle to accommodate for an intensive workout plan. Continuing on the 96.7 The Ticket radio show, Mark Cuban believes that once Doncic has everything figured out, he will be unstoppable.
"He knows what he needs to do and it finally clicked that if he’s going to be the best — and I know he wants to be the best — that there’s certain things he has to control. Once he got a handle on those things, it’s just been Katy bar the door. He’s just been unstoppable."
The Dallas Mavericks are fifth in the Western Conference with a 35-24 record, ahead of the LA Lakers, LA Clippers and Denver Nuggets. They are 1.5 games behind the Utah Jazz and have a shot at entering the top four seeds down the stretch of the season.
Luka Doncic and the Mavericks take on the Jazz on the road for their first game after the mid-season break.
Poll : Can Luka Doncic carry the Dallas Mavericks to a top 4 seed in the West?
Yes
No
69 votes
