Stephen A. Smith delivers backhanded compliment to Luka Doncic’s slimmer look, says NBA still shouldn’t be ‘scared’ of him

While NBA fans continue to react to the new slimmed-down physique of Luka Doncic following his appearance on the cover of Men’s Health Magazine, Stephen A. Smith isn’t impressed.

During Tuesday’s “First Take,” Smith said the rest of the NBA has no more reason to fear the Slovenian star than they did last season.

As he explained, Doncic has always been an elite offensive player. However, his effort on the defensive end and his ability to move off-ball have been lacking throughout his career.

"Not any more scared than they already are," Smith said. "I mean, the brother is phenomenal as an offensive talent. No doubt about this. But there's a difference between getting in shape in the off-season and staying in shape during the season. And that's something that we have to monitor moving forward. The conditioning is obviously imperative."

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Given the narrative put forth by Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison following last season's blockbuster trade, it seems as though Doncic is entering the 2025-26 season eager to prove his doubters wrong.

Of course, before that, he will look to help lead Slovenia to a EuroBasket title.

"This summer was just a little bit different," - Luka Doncic opens up on offseason transformation

While fans have been discussing the offseason transformation of Luka Doncic, this isn't the first time we've seen offseason photos of Doncic looking notably slimmed down.

As Doncic explained in his Men's Health Magazine interview released on Monday, however, this offseason has been different.

Although he didn't explicitly reference the trade, the five-time All-NBA First-Team member indicated that he went into the offseason more motivated than ever:

“Every summer I try my best to work on different things. Obviously, I’m very competitive. This summer was just a little bit different, you know. It kind of motivated me to be even better. ... This is just the start, you know. I need to keep going. Can’t stop.”

While Doncic's offseason transformation has gotten tons of coverage, one of the biggest factors in his transformation has been his health.

Following a run to the 2024 NBA Finals with the Dallas Mavericks, Doncic had little time to recover before the Olympics. As a result, he wound up going into the 2024-25 NBA season battling injuries, which led to him playing in a career-low 50 games.

Now, after recovering and diving headfirst into his offseason workouts, Doncic will have a chance to show that his weight loss is different than years past when he competes with Slovenia in Eurobasket.

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About the author

Evan Bell

Evan Bell is a journalist specializing in the NBA and NHL at Sportskeeda, whose love for the game stems from a childhood spent watching the Chicago Bulls. He has been there through their highs and lows, from the Jordan era to the exciting Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah years.

Evan finds the 82-game season and the intensity of playoff basketball exhilarating, and he also revels in the offseason drama. Phil Jackson stands out as his favorite coach, whom he admires for his composed leadership and success in managing dynamic personalities like Dennis Rodman.

To deliver top-quality content, Evan fact-checks information while diligently keeping up with the action year-round.

When he's not writing, Evan follows tennis and Greek football, and also plays basketball and tennis.

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