The face of the Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic, has established himself as one of the top players in the NBA in only a few short seasons. Doncic, a multifaceted player who rules on the offensive end of the floor, is entering his sixth NBA season with the goal of getting the Mavs back to the postseason so they can challenge for the title.
But given that he’s been battling a persistent calf ailment all summer, Doncic’s readiness to open the 2023–24 season is still very much in doubt at this moment. Since Luka played little in Dallas’ preseason games, his participation in the team’s season opener on Wednesday against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs is now officially categorized as uncertain.
On Tuesday, Doncic spoke to reporters before practice and said while he is feeling better, he’s still not sure about his status for the first game of the new season.
“I’ve been practicing for two days now and I feel pretty good,” Doncic stated, via Brad Towsend from Dallas Morning News. “We’ll see how it feels tomorrow morning.”
Doncic did make it clear that he has not been limited in practice and that his calf injury is “better” than it has been.
Without Luka, the Mavs would be like the Los Angeles Lakers or Golden State Warriors without LeBron James or Stephen Curry, respectively. The fact that this club produced a losing record last season without Doncic on the court shows how important he is to their overall success. Dallas has actually lost 27 of its last 36 games without Luka since he joined the league in 2018.
Doncic, who plays in 66 games every season and is a legitimate MVP contender every year, averaged 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game while shooting 49.6 percent from the field last year. Only Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, who later won the league’s MVP award, scored more than he did in the league.
As long as he does not have any setbacks in practice, it is probable that Luka Doncic will be ready for Wednesday’s season-opening game against the Spurs.
