Mavs' Luka Doncic Encouraged By New Roster, Fit with Kyrie Irving

Mavs superstar Luka Doncic spoke to reporters after the team's first day of training camp, offering his thoughts on the new roster, his thigh injury, fit with Kyrie Irving, and more.

DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks' preparation for the 2023-24 season is underway as the team opened the first day of training camp on Wednesday. It's early, but Luka Doncic is optimistic after getting his first impression of the upgraded roster the Dallas front office put together following a disappointing 38-44 record last season. 

"I think so far it's been great chemistry," Doncic said. "We have great guys. All of the new guys that came in — great guys. I think it's started on a positive note."

Doncic offered an update on his lingering thigh injury, stating that “it's better” after describing it as being "not okay" following Slovenia's loss against Lithuania toward the end of the FIBA World Cup. Doncic mentioned that he still has appointments to gain further information about it.  

"It's better," Doncic said on Wednesday. "We still have some appointments, so when we get a clear [idea] of what it is, we'll let you guys know."

It's common for players who participate in international play during the NBA offseason to have a lightened workload during training camp and preseason. Doncic anticipates being mostly a full participant.

"I think maybe because we have two-a-days in the afternoon, we're going to get some walkthroughs, but I'll maybe talk with Dionne [Calhoun] to skip some stuff, but otherwise I'll do it," Doncic said.

A downfall of the Mavs' performance last season featured a lack of execution on defense and rebounding. The team produced a 116.1 defensive rating (25th) and a 47.1% total rebounding percentage (30th), making them one of the worst in the NBA defensively and statistically the least effective on the boards. Achieving greater results is a point of emphasis for the group that Doncic highlighted. 

"Just play better defense," Doncic said. "One thing that we emphasize this year is rebounding. We're going to get better on our rebounding and that's the stuff we mentioned for today."

A pivotal part of the Mavs' offseason featured re-signing Kyrie Irving to a new contract after acquiring him as the headliner of a midseason trade with the Brooklyn Nets. Dallas went 5-11 in the 16 games that Doncic and Irving shared the floor, but there is no shortage of optimism about the potential of the group with a full training camp and season to build continuity.

Luka Doncic could be in for an MVP-caliber season with the Dallas Mavericks / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

"I mean, better for sure," Doncic said. "He came in the middle of the season last year. We didn't have much time [last season]. We went straight to playing games. It takes time to build chemistry, especially on the court. We will have the whole training camp and then the preseason, too. I think it's going to be way better."

"Just playing off each other," Doncic explained. "We're the two leaders of the team. What we do, other people are going to follow, and we have to set an example, and that's everybody. It's not just us."

One method for Doncic and the Mavs to enhance the fit with Irving while reducing his workload could be to expand on the use of off-ball screening actions that involve Doncic, along with expanded use of him as a ball screener. Doncic feels he took a "step forward" as an off-ball player, particularly confidence in the use of off-ball screening actions — such as single or double-wide pindowns, and Zoom actions — while also viewing it as a way to have less tiring sequences during games.

"Like I say, off-ball stuff, they're going to be better, I think," Doncic said. "I did take a step forward this summer when I was playing off-screen, too, so it was better. It's less tiring, too."

When discussing the new roster, Doncic highlighted the leadership of Grant Williams, who will fill the starting power forward slot. After a successful tenure with the Boston Celtics, he will bring more strength to the four spot — an area that featured undersized options in spread lineups and the lack of a stable all-around option, requiring the team to experiment with big lineups that proved insufficient. 

"I think we got some great players," Doncic said. "I think Grant [Williams] is a great leader. He talks a lot, sometimes too much, but he's a great guy, and he's going to help us a lot." 

The Mavs' two rookies, Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper, have each given Doncic reason for optimism. Doncic particularly appreciates the start of the connection he shares with Lively, stating he is "impressed" by the initial synergy in pick-and-roll involving the two of them. 

"Both of the rookies, they're great so far," Doncic said. "We played two pickup games, and they were great. The connection between me and Lively — he follows really good, which I was impressed." 

Doncic envisions the Mavs' rookies receiving playing under coach Jason Kidd if they continue to work hard. He is encouraged by how both Lively and Prosper are receptive to coaching and leadership. 

"If they work hard, they're going to get minutes, for sure," Doncic said. "Jason is going to give them an opportunity, but as I said, they both fight really well from what I saw from them. I didn't see much yet. So far, it's been great. They listen to you, and that's all you need."

With Doncic continuing to need to heal this lingering thigh injury, there is additional focus on his workload for the 2023-24 season. There tends to be attention on his season-long stamina related to conditioning and the taxing nature of being an ultra-high-usage initiator. He doesn't see the change in the NBA's resting rules as impacting whether he will play in a given game. 

"I played every time that I was healthy, probably played some times that I wasn't healthy, so there's no problem," Doncic said."

Another commonly asked question that Doncic receives is his continued need to reduce his communication with officiating, given it tends to annually place him in a situation where he faces a possible automatic one-game suspension due to approaching the NBA's single-season limit of 16 technical fouls. 

"It's a question I get every time, but you know, I said it last year, it's a difficult time, but I'm trying," Doncic said. "Trust me. I'm trying."

Among the highlights of the Mavs' preseason schedule is an exhibition match with Real Madrid on Oct. 10 at WiZink Center in Spain. Doncic played for Real Madrid from 2015 until 2018 before declaring for the NBA Draft. He credits his time with the team as helping to raise him, both on and off the court. 

"I've been thinking about this game since they told me we're going to play there," Doncic said. "That game's going to mean a lot to me. I was raised there. I learned how to speak their English, Spanish, well, everything. I learned how to play basketball. That's my second home. I'm very excited to be back there."