Mavericks announce Luka Doncic injury during training camp

Doncic starts camp with a bump, though it should not prove a setback to start the season.

The Dallas Mavericks announced today that Luka Doncic “sustained a hit during workouts this week resulting in a left calf contusion. Doncic will be re-evaluated as necessary in one week.” NBA correspondent Marc Stein has indicated that that the injury was sustained in a weekend workout prior to the team’s departure to training camp in Las Vegas. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon has reported that sources confirm that the injury does not put him in jeopardy of missing the season opener against the San Antonio Spurs at the American Airlines Center on October 24.

The pairing of the team’s announcement with Stein’s reporting — that the injury took place prior to their time in Vegas — only seems odd as the team released a scrimmage highlight reel from workouts at UNLV where Doncic is seen participating.

It is obviously entirely possible that Doncic sustained the injury prior to Las Vegas, and then aggravated it while participating in camp. In any event, the injury itself doesn’t seem much cause for concern in the long term. The only downside is head coach Jason Kidd being able to utilize this time to build chemistry between the superstar and his new teammates Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, and Quentin Grimes. This is the most complete roster that Doncic has had around him since he was drafted and you’d like to see the team hit the ground running right out of the gate.

We won’t venture too far into guessing what Doncic could do with any extra downtime he’ll have while in Vegas. A few more hours of blackjack? Perhaps a Cirque show? The team traveled to Las Vegas at the start of the week, after their Media Day on Monday September 30, for a few days of practice. The Mavericks wrap up their time in Vegas on October 4, and return for their first preseason game against the Memphis Grizzlies on October 7. News about Doncic’s availability for that game or others still to come.