The Los Angeles Lakers are going through a rough time after being prematurely eliminated from the NBA in the first round of the Playoffs. Marcus Morris, an experimental player who has played in various teams of the league, declared in an interview about different topics regarding the situation la the team.
Morris gave the mentoring advice to Luka Doncic, the Forward/Guard of the L.A Lakers about his weight and the importance of maintaining his fit during the season. He also mentioned that the role of Austin Reaves must be considered for a better performance during the season.
“I don’t think Luka is going to lose weight during the season. In the summertime, you’re on your regimen, you’ve got a chef with you. There’s no stress. You’re going to shed weight so fast, it’s not even going to be funny”, said Marcus in the interview where he explained why we see Luka always thin at the start of the season.
The big challenge for Lika Doncic, the mid-season
However, he adds that the problem will emerge when you are facing the season, arriving late will be a constant, and not being at home can be tricky. “I think the challenge is more when you’re getting to cities at 3:00 in the morning, when you’re hungry after the game, and you are figuring out how to keep your weight off. I think that is the biggest issue with Luka during the season”.
He also had time to compare himself with Luka, especially when there wasn’t any competition. “Even with me as a player in the offseason, I looked way better than I do during the season, which is crazy, but I’m getting my hours in. There’s no stress on my body; I can work out in the weight room as much during the regular season”.
Let’s remember that during this season, Luka had some amazing numbers per match, with an average of 28.2 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.7 rebounds. Nevertheless, one key point of discussion will always be his physical condition.
Austin Reeves, key move for better results
During the Playoffs, the Lakers were defeated by Minnesota by 4 matches to 1, where it was identified that the team of California was suffering on defense. Marcus Morris saw that issue and he left an important message to Rob Pelinka, the General Manager of the team. “If I were a GM, I would move- this might be unpopular – but I would move Austin Reeves. I figured out in the playoffs is that he and Luka on the court together defensively is not great for them”.
In addition to this, he suggests that at the start of the season, they will not suffer much, but they need to look for someone to protect the rim. “Unless we’re moving Austin Reaves to the bench, that starting unit during the regular season is cool. Nobody’s picking on them. But in a seven-game series in the playoffs, on my scout report, I got red on both. I think not having a big to protect the rim, twofold, like it’s going to be harder to play.”
Thus, he talked as well of Lebron and Luka, and he attacked the position of Austin Reeves, because he knows that with James and Doncic, they can win championships. “Any team that has Luka or LeBron has a chance”.
For now, the L.A Lakers are preparing for next season, trying to improve on what happened this year. Their main goal is to cut a streak of 5 years without winning the NBA and achieving their trophy number 18 in this competition.
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