Luka Doncic Leg Injury Raises Concern Before Mavs Camp: 'It's Not Okay'

Mavs superstar Luka Doncic told reporters in Manila, Philippines, during the 2023 FIBA World Cup, that his leg injury is "not okay."

MANILA, Philippines — As Luka Doncic has played out the 2023 FIBA World Cup with Slovenia, the underlying storyline of his injury status has remained a topic. After his final match on Saturday, Sept. 9, against Italy, there are only 18 days before the Dallas Mavericks open training camp for the 2023-24 NBA season. 

Following Slovenia's 100-84 loss to Lithuania on Thursday, Doncic mentioned to reporters that his thigh is "not okay," but that he has one more World Cup match to prepare for, in addition to a long, 82-game NBA season with the Mavs. He played 37 minutes in the game on the second night of a back-to-back, then in his finale against Italy, he logged 38 minutes.

"I do not know what to say," Doncic said. "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."

Doncic reaffirmed his intent to continue playing for Slovenia as long as he isn't dealing with a major injury. The next chance for him to do so will be next summer when Slovenia competes in the Olympic qualifiers. 

"I play no matter what, even in the Olympic qualifiers, if only I'm healthy," Doncic said.

Doncic has dealt with the injury since after the NBA All-Star break, but first mentioned it during a road game in New Orleans in early March. His performance was cut short before the fourth quarter in that game, then he underwent an MRI.

"It is an old injury, which caused me problems in March in the NBA," Doncic said in August. "Therefore, we performed an MRI. Everything is okay. Nothing worse."

Doncic had stated after the March game against the Pelicans that he doubted the injury was caused by contact. It was something that gave him pain the following day after a game when he woke up in the morning. 

"I just woke up the next day and it was hurting you, but I didn't get hit and I obviously don't think so, but I don't know," Doncic said in March. 

At the time of when Doncic initially dealt with the injury, he described the injury has causing weakness in his leg, particularly when shooting or jumping. However, he felt the pain was manageable. 

"When I try to shoot or jump, I feel like this leg is a little weaker," Doncic said in March. "Pain-wise, it's a little bit, but it's not too bad." 

It remains to be seen if Doncic's injury will require maintenance during the Mavs' season. It's common for players — including Doncic — that participated in international competition during the NBA offseason to have a lighter training camp. 

Last season, Doncic had begun sitting on the second night of back-to-backs for load management purposes, beginning in mid-November and lasting until mid-January. However, unlike the early portion of last season, the Mavs do have Kyrie Irving as another superstar to take pressure off of Doncic during games and to lead when the Slovenian superstar does not play. 

For the Mavs to achieve sustained success, it'll be important for improvement to be achieved in how the team executes defensively and on the boards. Dallas ranked 25th in defensive rating and 30th in total rebounding percentage just a season ago. While the team added veteran Grant Williams, it remains to be seen how quickly rookies Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper can make an impact as they adjust to the highest level of basketball. 

The Mavs open the regular season on Oct. 25, in a road matchup against a San Antonio Spurs team led by rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama.