Mavs Coach Jason Kidd Speaks on Luka Doncic's Lingering Thigh Injury
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks face a pivotal storyline ahead of the 2023-24 season. Luka Doncic played heavy minutes for Slovenia against physical competition throughout the FIBA World Cup, but his thigh injury that proved to be a concern late last season continues to linger.
Before the Mavs open training camp on Sept. 27, coach Jason Kidd spoke to Marc Stein on 97.1 The Freak to discuss various topics, including his thoughts on Doncic's injury.
"I think hopefully, as we go forward here, that he will be ready to go," Kidd said. "I presume that sometimes in our career we are not 100 percent, maybe we're 99 or 95 percent. The more games you play, the longer your career, I think you can ask anyone. No one's really 100 percent."
Kidd is encouraged by how the roster looks entering training camp, potentially enabling him to not have to rely on giving Doncic as heavy of a workload as he shouldered last season.
"Now, looking at our roster, hopefully, we don't have to play him 40 or more minutes per night," Kidd said. "With the depth that we have, I thought Nico [Harrison] did an incredible job this summer, but I'm excited with Luka and Kyrie Irving, and having Luka ready to go and achieve his goals and that's to win a championship."
FIBA
Following Slovenia's 100-84 loss to Lithuania during the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Doncic told reporters that his thigh injury still is "not okay." He went on to play 37 minutes against Lithuania on the second night of a back-to-back, then in his World Cup finale, he logged 38 minutes against Italy.
"I do not know what to say," Doncic said. "It's not okay. At the same time, I have to prepare for one more game, and then for a whole season in the NBA."
Doncic has dealt with the injury since the NBA All-Star initially mentioned it in the post-game press conference following a road loss against New Orleans in early March. His performance in that game was cut short before the fourth quarter, and he then underwent an MRI, which the results raised no concerns.
"It is an old injury, which caused me problems in March in the NBA," Doncic said in August. "Therefore, we performed an MRI. Everything is okay. Nothing worse."
Doncic expressed doubt that contact caused his injury after the March game against the Pelicans. He woke up the next morning with pain in the affected area.
"I just woke up the next day and it was hurting you, but I didn't get hit and I obviously don't think so, but I don't know," Doncic said in March.
At the time when Doncic initially dealt with the injury, he described the injury has causing weakness in his leg, particularly when shooting or jumping. However, he felt the pain was manageable.
"When I try to shoot or jump, I feel like this leg is a little weaker," Doncic said in March. "Pain-wise, it's a little bit, but it's not too bad."
We will have to wait and see if Doncic's injury requires maintenance during the Mavs' season. Players who compete internationally during the NBA offseason often have lighter training camps, which was the case for Doncic last year.
From mid-November until mid-January, Doncic would sit out on the second night of some back-to-back games to manage his workload. It's noteworthy that the Mavericks now have Kyrie Irving on their team as another superstar who can relieve the pressure off Doncic during games and lead the team when he's not playing, unlike last season when they didn't have another player of similar caliber.
On Oct. 25, the Mavericks will face off against the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs are led by rookie standout Victor Wembanyama.
