LAS VEGAS — Luka Doncic was noticeably absent from the second day of practice for the Dallas Mavericks’ training camp.
Shortly before Wednesday’s first practice session ended, the team announced Doncic’s unavailability was due to a left calf contusion sustained during workouts this week. He will be reevaluated in one week.
“He got hit in the calf,” Kidd said. “Reported it tight yesterday so they went and got an MRI. We’ll reevaluate him in a week and see where he stands.”
Doncic is expected to miss Sunday’s Fan Jam, an open practice at American Airlines Center, and Monday’s preseason opener against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Kidd said there’s no cause for concern, despite the five-time All-Star’s history of left calf injuries.
It’s a bit of déjà vu for Doncic, who suffered a mild calf strain in the same leg last Oct. 9 in Madrid. He played just five minutes in his homecoming game against his former team, Real Madrid, and did not suit up in the team’s preseason finale against the Detroit Pistons.
However, he was available for the season opener against the San Antonio Spurs and produced a signature 30-point triple-double in a narrow win for the Mavericks.
Doncic injured the same calf in the final regular season game of the 2021-22 season, which cost him the first three games of the Mavericks’ first-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz.
Doncic’s reevaluation timeline falls on Oct. 9, a day before Dallas hosts Utah in its second preseason game.
Mavericks players returned to Dallas for Monday’s media day at their team practice facility before kicking off training camp at UNLV in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Starting camp without their franchise centerpiece isn’t ideal, especially with several new additions to the team, such as Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall and Quentin Grimes.
But the Mavericks have plenty of depth at the point guard position, including Kyrie Irving, Jaden Hardy, Spencer Dinwiddie, Dante Exum and two-way guard Brandon Williams.
P.J. Washington isn’t concerned about the team missing time on the court with Doncic, he said Wednesday.
“I don’t think it’s going to be hard because when he’s on the court, it’s easy to play with him,” Washington told The Dallas Morning News.
“For us, it’s just learning our spacing and learning where we need to be. He’s going to be Luka, so we’re not really worried about him. It’s just us getting in our right spots, making sure we know the plays and defenses and all of that type of stuff.”
Doncic, 25, is about to start his seventh season with the hope of returning to the NBA Finals. He was riddled with injuries during last season’s postseason, but he’ll have three full weeks to recover from the calf injury before Dallas’ Oct. 24 season opener against the Spurs.
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