Dallas Mavs' Luka Doncic Speaks on Calf Strain, 'Weird' Thigh Injury Before Game vs. San Antonio Spurs
DALLAS — After recovering from a mild calf strain over the past few weeks, Luka Doncic was described as "questionable" to play against the San Antonio Spurs ahead of the Dallas Mavericks' regular-season opener.
"We don't know yet, honestly," Doncic said on Tuesday. "I've been practicing for two days, so I feel pretty good. We'll see how it feels tomorrow morning.
After dealing with his calf strain, Doncic participated in his first practice on Monday. He could do "everything" on Tuesday and said he feels "pretty good."
"I did everything. I feel pretty good, but we'll see," Doncic said. "Two days of practice is different than two weeks of lifting and shooting."
After dealing with injuries to Doncic and Kyrie Irving throughout the preseason, the Mavs were limited in their opportunities to gain valuable on-court reps to further the collective chemistry-building process. A 12-day international trip with limited practice availability certainly did not help either.
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic playing against Real Madrid in Spain.
Víctor Carretero
Doncic is finishing a busy summer competing with the Slovenian national team at the FIBA World Cup. He acknowledged that he still has not determined specifics regarding his thigh injury, which became a lingering problem shortly after the NBA All-Star break.
"I have no idea," Doncic said. "We're going to have to talk to the doctor. We still have to figure out what it is."
When discussing his thigh injury, Doncic described it as an "off and on" problem, acknowledging that it's been weird. He did mention the injury as having improved than it's been in the past.
"Yeah, it's off and on. It's a weird thing," Doncic said. "I don't really know how to explain. It's something weird. It's better than it was, for sure."
The Mavs' caution to a calf strain ahead of an 82-game regular season wasn't surprising. Doncic described the injury in Spain as being "nothing serious" after playing five minutes against Real Madrid.
Despite only recently being a full participant in practice, Doncic doesn't feel he's lost his conditioning ahead of the regular season opener. He's remained active in the locker room and on the bike. He feels much better this week than during the long international trip.
“No, I actually think it was better,” Doncic said of his conditioning. “I had to spend a lot of time in the weight room. Actually, it was good: Not good that I was injured, but I got a lot of work in, and I feel way better than I was on the trip.”
The Mavs will lean on the off-court bonding the team had due to spending so much time together due to global travel. How the team begins the season after such circumstances will be something to monitor amid a competitive Western Conference landscape.
The Mavs will be tested by the Spurs, who now have Victor Wembanyama as a franchise player to set the tone. San Antonio has deployed "jumbo" lineups with Jeremy Sochan playing point guard at 6-foot-8. How Dallas handles Wembanyama and being undersized will be essential factors.
Doncic will look to have another strong season after averaging 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.0 assists in 66 games in 2022-23. After dealing with a lingering thigh injury after the NBA All-Star break last season, his health has become a focus to keep tabs on ahead of a pivotal season.
