Stephen A. Smith says Luka Doncic is unwilling to address the flaws in his game
The Boston Celtics are the 2024 NBA Champions after defeating the Dallas Mavericks in five games.
Mavs star Luka Doncic was one of the league’s best players in the playoffs despite not winning the title leading the playoffs in total points, rebounds, assists, steals and three-pointers made.
Doncic helped the Mavs beat three of the top four seeds in the Western Conference on the way to the third finals berth in franchise history.
However, Doncic was heavily criticized by some for his temperament and maturity including Stephen A. Smith who said the All-NBA guard refused to address the flaws in his game.
“You gotta get yourself in shape, you gotta commit yourself to being conditioned that is not something any athlete should ever want to have said about them that your conditioning played a role in impeding your progress from being even more elite than you showed and we know that Luka is elite, he’s a superstar make no mistake about,” said Smith.
Analyst Brian Windhorst said that Doncic has struggled with complaining to the referees for all of his career despite protestations from his coaches to stop arguing with officials.
Smith also said Doncic’s conditioning was a topic of conversation at the NBA Finals and that it’s something that NBA Hall of Famers notice.
Andraya Carter said how Doncic responds to this final loss will determine how fans and pundits perceive his legacy.
This story was originally published June 18, 2024 at 1:27 PM.
