Jason Kidd: Dallas Mavs 'Concerned' About Luka Doncic's Minutes
PORTLAND — As the Dallas Mavericks continue to play with Kyrie Irving sidelined, Luka Doncic has shouldered a heavier workload. He's averaged 40.9 minutes per game over his last six contests, with an outlier being playing just 32 minutes in the team's 50-point routing of the Utah Jazz, not even requiring him to check back into the game in the fourth quarter.
The Mavs are "concerned" about the number of minutes Doncic has played lately, even if Doncic is only 24, because his background, being a professional at 13, comes with more mileage than the typical young player. Dallas plans to "pay attention to" the Slovenian superstar's playing time.
"We are concerned about the minutes. He's averaging 40 here in the last five games," Kidd said of Doncic. "We have to figure out how to get these minutes down, but it is a concern. You can take out being young. He's been a pro since he was 13. That is something that we have to pay attention to."
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic during the 2023-24 NBA season.
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
With Irving sidelined, the Mavs have often seen more aggressive defensive coverages focused on being physical with Doncic early and often. After being checked to the ground by David Roddy in Monday's win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Doncic acknowledged his back was "hurting a lot" on the first night of a back-to-back.
"Now it's hurting like a... I'm not going to say it, but it's hurting a lot," Doncic said after Monday's game. "My knees are swollen like... I gotta get ready for tomorrow."
The following night, Doncic played 43 minutes against the Los Angeles Lakers, later acknowledging how he was unsure how he played with how "everything hurts."
"I don't know how I played," Doncic said after Tuesday's game. "I slept very little today, and everything hurts. I am getting older. But we got two back-to-back wins, which is amazing, especially against a team like the Lakers. So, I am really proud of these guys."
Doncic has averaged 32.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 9.1 assists through 23 games this season. He's continued to elevate his impact, even after already having four All-NBA First-Team nods, positioning him for a strong candidacy for this year's MVP award.
As the Mavs seek to have a better finish to last season than their previous 38-44 campaign that failed to qualify for the play-in tournament, Doncic's durability for the stretch-run of the season will be an important factor.
