Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić showed off his slimmer offseason physique in the newest issue of Men’s Health.

For the magazine, Andrew Heffernan and Ebenezer Samuel detailed Dončić’s workout and diet regimen while spending the summer in Croatia.

“What the Luka haters have never seen is this: Dončić slogging through two-a-days in Croatia while sticking to a gluten-free, low-sugar diet that includes at least 250 grams of protein and one almond milk–fueled shake a day,” Heffernan and Samuel wrote. “They never knew that Dončić had quietly constructed a fitness team several years ago to help enhance his (very dangerous) natural gifts. And they never realized how much he committed to training and diet this summer.

“Here’s the thing too: Even if you thought Luka Dončić had a dadbod, he was already a top-five NBA player. And after pushing hard this offseason, he can’t help but wonder how high he’ll level up. ‘If I stop now,’ Dončić says of his effort to rebuild his body, ‘it was all for nothing.'”

According to Heffernan and Samuel, the five-time All-Star made a concerted effort to approach this offseason a little differently. A day after the Lakers’ season-ending loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA playoffs, he told his manager he wanted his training to be his sole focus.

“So every summer I try my best to work on different things,” he said. “Obviously, I’m very competitive. This summer was just a little bit different, you know. It kind of motivated me to be even better.”

That meant initially spending more time in the weight room rather than on the court, though he and his trainers integrated basketball drills into his routine by June.

From the moment he arrived in the NBA in 2018, Dončić’s raw physical tools have been a talking point about his overall game. Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman wrote ahead of the draft the 6’6″ playmaker “lacks explosiveness for a guard or wing” and that his “lateral foot speed is a weakness.”

Dončić quickly quieted the concerns over lack of his perceived athleticism as he won Rookie of the Year and then was a first-team All-NBA honoree in his second season.

Still, the 26-year-old’s conditioning — or lack thereof — has remained a talking point, and the discourse hit a fever pitch with his trade to Los Angeles. It became clear the Dallas Mavericks had reservations about how his body will hold up over the coming years.

Minor injuries have been a persistent theme for Dončić, who has only twice logged 70-plus appearances in a season.

Maybe Luka and his team always would’ve planned to emphasize weight training and cardio this summer. It certainly looks as though his trade, and how it was framed, struck a nerve.

The Mavs and general manager Nico Harrison were criticized from the moment the trade happened. Dončić is one of the NBA’s most talented players and in the prime of his career. Teams typically don’t deal this kind of star unless they’re left with no other choice.