Luka Doncic was spotted using a knee scooter during the Mavericks’ home matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night. The Slovenian superstar has been sidelined since the Christmas game against Minnesota when he strained his left calf.
Advertisement
After seeing Luka require assistance to leave the court on Friday night, a sports medicine doctor went online to share his opinion on the 25-year-old’s timeline of return.
Based on this video and the usual ramp up timeline, he’s still looking like at least 4-6 weeks return from now. Probably post all star break to get that additional time https://t.co/XFJzK2Rucl
— Brian Sutterer MD (@BrianSuttererMD) January 5, 2025
Unfortunately, this is a particularly concerning situation for Luka as he has frequently injured his left calf over the past few seasons. It has kept him out of the last two pre-seasons and even forced him to miss the first three games of the 2022 Playoffs.
Sudden movements like acceleration, deceleration and jumping can all lead to calf strains for NBA athletes. While low grade injuries can take as little as 2 weeks to heal, grade 3 strains can sideline a player for as long as 3 months.
Eddie Johnson, a former guard for the Phoenix Suns, chimed in with some advice for Doncic after his injury was announced. Despite the rivalry between the Mavs and Johnson’s former team, the retired player wanted to see Luka back in action sooner than later.
“Strained my calf 3 times in my prime , like Luka! A lot of issues was alignment. Structural doctor and non stop Stretching with good posture is his only cure or it will continue to happen. Dr. Johnson has spoken!” he tweeted.
This time, Doncic incurred the injury without any contact and was forced to leave the Mavs’ Christmas game against Minnesota before half-time. When he was sidelined earlier this season, Kyrie Irving was able to step up and lead Dallas to a 5-1 record in Luka’s absence.
Unfortunately, the Mavericks are not enjoying the same luck this time around. Jason Kidd’s side have lost their last four games, winning just one matchup since losing Doncic to injury. Irving has once again tried to put the team on his back, but is himself missing games right now due to an illness.
In the Christmas matchup against the Timberwolves, Kyrie exploded for 39 points and kept the game competitive even with Doncic missing the entire second half. He put up another heroic 46-point game against Portland, though it would ultimately result in a 122-126 loss for Dallas.
He missed the Mavs’ previous home game due to an unspecified illness, resulting in a 122-134 loss against the Cavaliers. Quentin Grimes and Jaden Hardy stepped up for Kidd but the Mavericks still face a long road ahead in the absence of their franchise superstar.
Over the next two weeks, Dallas will take on some of the top names in the West including the LA Lakers, the Denver Nuggets (twice), the Minnesota Timberwolves and the OKC Thunder. The Mavericks are already 1-4 without Luka and it’s likely that they will fall further in the standings, especially if Doncic returns after the All-Star break in late February.
