The Los Angeles Lakers look all set to make Luka Doncic the face of the franchise.
After all, with LeBron James in the last year of his deal, it seems certain that the King will leave the Los Angeles Lakers following the end of the 2025-26 NBA season.
James was even spotted meeting Nikola Jokic’s agent in the offseason. But coming back to Luka Doncic, the upcoming season will be his first full campaign with the Lakers.
While the excitement is there, many are still concerned about his fitness issues, as Doncic wasn’t in optimal condition in his debut season with the Purple and Gold.
Mychal Thompson says JJ Redick needs to be blunt with Luka Doncic
Following the Lakers’ first-round exit from the 2025 NBA Playoffs, head coach JJ Redick claimed that the roster needs to be in better shape next season.
While coach Redick didn’t take any particular names, franchise legend Mychal Thompson firmly believes that the message was directed at Doncic.
“When JJ Redick said, ‘We need to get in better condition next year.’ I don’t think he was talking about LeBron. Or Austin Reaves or Jarred Vanderbilt. Or Rui Hachimura,” Thompson said on Hoops Talk.
Thompson then urged Redick to take a blunt approach with Doncic, who is expected to be the next face of the iconic franchise.
“He should just say, ‘Hey, Luka needs to get in Kobe Bryant shape. If you’re going to be the face of the Lakers franchise, you got to be in shape like Magic [Johnson] was, like Kobe was, like LeBron has been.
“That’s the expectation that’s required of you if you’re the face of this franchise.’ And there’s no sugarcoating it,” Thompson added.
According to Thompson, Doncic needs to return to his rookie-year shape, when he was much quicker on the court.
On a positive note, Doncic has seemingly lost weight as the Laker Nation is beyond excited for the 26-year-old’s second season in LA.
What Luka Doncic needs to ‘respect’?
Right now, the Lakers’ biggest focus is re-signing Doncic to a long-term contract extension. But what about Doncic? What does he need to do before the beginning of the training camp?
Well, Thompson reiterated that Doncic needs to ‘respect’ his body, similar to how previous Lakers stars have done.
“Why don’t you respect that Luka and come into shape and be the player that we [Lakers] expect you to be. But you have to be in shape to do it.
“Was Kobe ever out of shape? Was Magic? No. Those guys came in and could run and play all day,” Thompson concluded.
