Mavericks want star player to slim down

According to Tim Cato of The Athletic, the Mavericks "have talked to Doncic about decreasing his preferred playing weight this summer," which is a nice way of saying that they think he's too fat. 

The 24-year-old superstar seemed to wear down over the course of the season, which is both due to his subpar conditioning and the heavy offensive burden he takes on.

Now the Mavericks have re-signed Kyrie Irving to share the scoring load, the next step is Doncic getting in better shape. Based on the videos he's been posting this summer, Doncic is putting in the work.

Cato believes that while Doncic's physical improvement is important, the mental side is an even bigger deal. It's less of a dietary issue than "that he treats an off night in November and a minor injury absence in February with the same level of focus." He compares Doncic to Dirk Nowitzki, who got serious about his discipline at a similar age.

Doncic also likely needs to quit smoking. At last year's World Cup qualifier against Germany, Doncic was reportedly smoking and drinking Coca-Cola the night before the game. If the Mavericks are concerned that Doncic is winded, cutting out cigarettes is a must.

The Mavericks missed the playoffs, so Doncic got an extended off-season to train. We'll see the results when he plays for Slovenia at the FIBA World Cup in Japan. Dallas will be watching his team — and his weight.