Luka Doncic on what he learned most from playing with LeBron James

When Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers nearly a year and a half ago, he was already a genuinely great player, but he was seen as one who still had lots of room for improvement in multiple areas. Yet he had an incredible opportunity to better himself by being around LeBron James, who, among other things, is a master at keeping his body right and getting prepared to play.

In a recent interview that was done during an appearance on James' "Mind the Game" podcast, Doncic said that one thing he learned from James was how the four-time MVP prepares for games -- well before a game starts.

“First of all, off the court, you know, all the things he does just to be ready for the game. And obviously on the court, everybody knows what kind of player he is.”

When asked for an example, Doncic gave an impressive one.

“He shows up like 10 hours before the game. ... I came to the arena, he was already done working out. I was like, what?”

The truly great ones are utterly and totally dedicated to their craft. Doncic got plenty of criticism around the time he came to the Lakers for being out of shape and lacking conditioning. Last summer, he dropped plenty of weight and got into much better shape, and he ended up having one of his best seasons yet.

This past season, Doncic averaged 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.6 steals while leading the Lakers to a 53-29 record and the Western Conference's fourth seed. He won the Western Conference Player of the Month award in January and March, and it seemed like he improved his defense, which had been another main source of criticism.

Unfortunately, Doncic suffered a season-ending hamstring strain on April 2, forcing him to miss the playoffs. But he recently said he's "excited" about the Lakers' new roster, and he also said that he's "very excited" for the start of the new season.

At the age of 27, he could be just beginning a long and very fruitful prime of his career.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Luka Doncic on what he learned most from playing with LeBron James