Luka Doncic only played five minutes as the Dallas Mavericks played Spanish basketball giants Real Madrid in a game that was a homecoming for Luka, who played for Madrid before being drafted by the Mavericks. The reason for his limited play has been revealed, as Doncic suffered a left calf strain.
“The Mavericks tell Bally Sports SW they will have to limit Luka Dončić to roughly five minutes of playing time in his Real Madrid homecoming game due to a left calf strain. Dončić desperately wanted to play more, I’m told, but Dallas established this limit to be ultra cautious.”
The Mavericks tell @BallySportsSW they will have to limit Luka Dončić to roughly five minutes of playing time in his Real Madrid homecoming game due to a left calf strain.
Dončić desperately wanted to play more, I'm told, but Dallas established this limit to be ultra cautious.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 10, 2023
Minor injuries are becoming a worry for Doncic, who has been complaining of niggling injuries since February 2023. A thigh injury ensured he couldn’t repeat his early-season heroics to keep the Mavericks in the playoff hunt last season and it also affected him during the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
He gave Fadeaway World a positive update on his injury last week in Abu Dhabi, but it seems Luka will join Kyrie Irving on the Mavericks injury list.
Luka Doncic Gives An Update On His Injury
After the Mavericks lost to Real Madrid without Doncic or Irving, Luka addressed the media and discussed his injury.
“Nothing serious.”
Luka Dončić says postgame in Madrid that his injury is "nothing serious." https://t.co/uhpNKUc4dO
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) October 10, 2023
If it was nothing serious, I highly doubt the Mavericks would have regulated Doncic’s minutes as heavily as they did. They essentially didn’t play him in a game that was supposed to be his homecoming in Madrid. I don’t understand why they would do to this degree for a minor injury, but it’s possible the Mavericks are being extra cautious.
Kyrie Irving has been injured since playing 13 minutes in the first game against the Wolves in Abu Dhabi. He didn’t play today either, for another injury that the Mavericks have called minor.
Dallas Mavericks Struggling In Preseason
With the loss at the hands of Real Madrid, the Mavs are officially 0-3 to start the preseason. However, it is hard to draw conclusions about this team given the very experimental rotations Jason Kidd has been employing. Kyrie hasn’t been available for more than 13 minutes, and Doncic missed the game against Madrid where the Mavs blew a 14-point lead.
The franchise has primarily featured its young players during this preseason run, trying to determine their starting combinations. Rookie Dereck Lively II is bound to be their starting center on opening night, beating out Dwight Powell and Richaun Holmes in the rotation. The small forward spot next to Grant Williams in the frontline has had different starters in each game.
The first Timberwolves matchup saw rookie Olivier-Maxence Prosper start, with the second game inserting Josh Green. In today’s game against Real Madrid, the Mavs started Derrick Jones Jr. in that role, along with Dante Exum in the backcourt ahead of Jaden Hardy. The Mavs definitely have a lot of mid-to-low-level rotational options available to them but that doesn’t seem like a good thing for a team that wants to contend.
The years of roster mismanagement in the Doncic era is showing its strain now, but the Mavericks actually have a talented group that can grow together. They aren’t contenders this season and will likely be locked in the fight for the play-in. But it wouldn’t surprise me if they manage to fit at a high level and push on to a top-six seed. When it comes to contention, this is just year one of a new-look squad that is pretty young.
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