What Luka Doncic's killer shape at EuroBasket has taught us

What stood out most wasn’t just the production, but how sustainable it looked. Doncic’s body language has sometimes told the story of fatigue in past summers. Not this time. His conditioning was noticeably better — lighter feet, quicker first steps and the stamina to defend and rebound deep into the fourth quarter. Slovenia leaned on him to do everything, and he answered the call.

A defensive upgrade was Luka Doncic biggest need

The defensive activity was new. Doncic will never be a lockdown guy, but in this tournament, he was engaged in passing lanes, boxing out and contesting shots. He averaged over a steal per game, and the eye test showed more consistent effort than we usually see when he’s carrying such a heavy offensive load. That’s a sign of improved shape and mentality.

His shot profile also shifted. While Doncic leans heavily on step-back threes, he balanced that with more drives and midrange looks. He punished switches by getting into the paint and drew fouls at a higher clip. That variety made him harder to scheme against, especially when Slovenia’s shooters went cold.

Of course, not everything was perfect. His three-point stroke was streaky, and he turned the ball over when trying to force passes through traffic. With Slovenia’s shallow roster, the burden was overwhelming — he simply ran out of help when elimination came. But the lesson wasn’t that he needs to be flawless. It’s that he can sustain greatness for longer stretches if his conditioning is right.

The Lakers should be excited about Luka Doncic

For the Lakers, that takeaway matters. Doncic has to carry an NBA team that now runs through him and LeBron James. LeBron remains elite, but cannot shoulder the same nightly load at 41. What EuroBasket proved is that Doncic is prepared physically and mentally for that responsibility. He showed he can push through tournament-style pressure, back-to-backs and still play winning basketball.

That translates directly to the NBA postseason. If Doncic keeps this level of fitness, the Lakers won’t just get a superstar scorer — they’ll get someone capable of maintaining defensive focus and offensive brilliance for entire playoff runs. The days of wondering if Luka would fade late in games might finally be behind him.

EuroBasket 2025 didn’t crown Doncic a champion. But it did crown him as a more complete, more prepared version of himself. If this is the shape he brings to Los Angeles, the rest of the league should be worried.