Doncic, Streaking Mavs Learning & Growing Despite Missing Key Players
Whether it's good or bad, you find out what a group of players are really made of when they're faced with adversity.
We saw a great example of that last season when the Dallas Mavericks overcame multiple injuries and Covid-protocol absences in the first part of the 2021-22 season to go on an incredible run in the second half that eventually ended in the Western Conference Finals.
Could we be seeing the sequel to that movie this season?
After getting off to yet another slow start, the Mavs, led by the historic numbers being put up by MVP candidate Luka Doncic, have steadied the ship and rattled off six consecutive wins to give them a 21-16 record and sole possession of fourth-place in the Western Conference standings.
What makes this particular run so impressive, though, is that it's been done without three of the team's best defenders. Maxi Kleber has missed 10 games due to a hamstring tear that will likely keep him out for the rest of the season. Dorian Finney-Smith has missed the last six games due to an adductor strain, and he's expected to miss at least another week of action. Josh Green, who is arguably the Mavs' best on-ball defender, has been sidelined for 12 games due to an elbow sprain with no timetable set for his return.
Doncic taking his game to new heights in the face of adversity has been incredible theater to watch, but is it sustainable for the rest of this season? If not, can he keep it up until the Mavs' roster is healthy again? Can the momentum Dallas has built during this win streak carry them through a tough January schedule?
On the latest episode of the Mavs Step Back Podcast, Mavs Moneyball's Editor-In-Chief Kirk Henderson drops by to discuss all of these topics, and much more, at length. You can catch the entire conversation here:
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