It has been quite a summer for Luka Doncic, as pictures of him have started to emerge online where he looks thinner. Doncic’s transformation comes after a difficult season that saw him being traded by the Dallas Mavericks and then criticized online for being “out of shape.”Shortly after he landed in LA, rumors emerged on social media suggesting that the Mavericks weren’t confident in Luka’s long-term health and fitness. All the talk seems to have had a profound effect on Doncic, who even stepped away from basketball this offseason to focus on weight training and getting in his best shape.The decision to step away from basketball was made at the behest of his trainers. While speaking to Men’s Health, Luka Doncic explained that being away from the game led to many “angry moments.”“At the beginning, it was hard,” Doncic said. “I can’t be without basketball. But when I was a little kid, I played a lot of sports.”“There were a lot of angry moments, too, when we would lose,” he said. “But I didn’t lose much.”Doncic feels like he and his team have made a huge step over the summer and has no plans of slowing down from here on:“This year, with my team, I think we did a huge step. But this is just the start, you know. I need to keep going. Can’t stop.”The upcoming season could be Luka Doncic's most important one yetIt'll be hard for Luka Doncic to move past all that happened during the 2024-25 season. This campaign marked the first time he made fewer than 60 appearances. To make matters worse, he was sent packing by a franchise that he believed would be his long-term home in the league.Things didn't improve after his trade, as Doncic and the LA Lakers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. He was brilliant individually, averaging 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists through 50 games. Still, he was criticized for the team's failures and had to deal with fans questioning his fitness.Coming into 2025-26, Luka Doncic will have a chip on his shoulder as he looks to put all the negative narratives around him to rest.