Prior to the 2023–24 season, Jason Kidd, coach of the Dallas Mavericks, delivered an update on the persistent thigh ailment Luka Doncic had. Despite the fact that athletes are rarely fully functional, Kidd was optimistic that Doncic would be prepared to play.
Additionally, Kidd showed trust in the team’s depth on the roster and the addition of Kyrie Irving, which could lighten Doncic’s workload. Despite the fact that Doncic has been battling a chronic thigh ailment since last season and has previously spoken about leg weakness, the MRI results came back clear.
“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”, he added. (h/t via SI)
Since the NBA All-Star publicly acknowledged his condition in the post-game news conference after a road loss to New Orleans at the beginning of March, Doncic has somehow coped with it. Before the fourth quarter of that match, his performance had been sliced short. He then underwent an MRI, however, the results of the tests raised no concerns.
Did Luka Doncic play the 2023 FIBA World Cup through injury?
Slovenia’s Luka Doncic and their team defeated Italy 89-85 in the classification round and wrapped up their FIBA World Cup 2023 championship in seventh position overall. With outstanding stats of 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists, Doncic nearly achieved a triple-double. Luka stated that his thigh was “not okay” following Slovenia’s 100-84 defeat to Lithuania earlier this September.
“I do not know what to say,” Doncic said about his injury. “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”, he added.
Luka Doncic came two dimes short of the World Cup’s first-ever triple double to power Slovenia’s win over Italy and earn TCL Player of the Game honors 👏
📊 29 PTS | 10 REB | 8 AST | 3 STL | 32 EFF#FIBAWC x #WinForSlovenia 🇸🇮 | #InspireGreatness pic.twitter.com/8ScQNdTdsl
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) September 9, 2023
The Dallas Mavericks hinged significantly on Luka Doncic this season, particularly after missing the playoffs the previous year, so his injury is undoubtedly something to consider for concerns. Although Slovenia’s aspirations of earning a medal had already been eliminated, coach Aleksander Sekulic praised the Mavericks star for playing in the classification-round match.
Having lost to Canada in the World Cup quarterfinals by a score of 100-89, Slovenia faced an intense schedule to wrap up the tournament, playing back-to-back on consecutive nights. Doncic contributed 26 points, five assists, four rebounds, two steals, and over a half-hour of playing time in the game versus Canada. After acquiring two technical penalties, he was dismissed in the middle of the fourth quarter.