Mavericks guard Luka Doncic will be sidelined for at least a month after suffering a left calf strain in the second quarter of Wednesday’s loss to Minnesota, report ESPN’s Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon.
As Charania and MacMahon detail, Doncic underwent an MRI on Thursday and consulted with multiple medical professionals to establish a return timeline. ESPN’s duo reported on Wednesday that the Mavs were anticipating Doncic would miss an “extended period of time” with the injury, which caused him to leave the arena on crutches.
Doncic appeared to suffer the injury when he drove into the lane while being defended by Jaden McDaniels. There was no contact to his left leg on the play.
According to ESPN, this is the third time Doncic has strained his left calf in the past few years. He also missed all preseason action with a left calf contusion and recently returned from a left heel contusion.
Doncic, who has made the All-NBA First Team each of the past five seasons, will see that streak end in 2024-25. He has already missed eight games this season, and Dallas plays 16 games between now and Jan. 25, which is around the time he’ll be reevaluated. That would put him on pace to miss at least 24 games, making him ineligible for major end-of-season awards, including MVP, due to the 65-game rule.
The 25-year-old superstar has averaged 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.8 assists and a career-high 2.0 steals in 22 games this season (35.7 minutes per contest). His shooting line is .464/.354/.767.
With Doncic out, star backcourt mate Kyrie Irving will take on additional scoring and play-making responsibilities. Quentin Grimes will likely start in Doncic’s stead, with Spencer Dinwiddie, another candidate for more touches and minutes.
The Mavericks have succeeded without Doncic in ’24-25, going 6-2. But the reigning Western Conference champions will be tested over the next several weeks without their best player.
