Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic will miss at least one week with a right wrist sprain, according to Shams Charania. Doncic was sporting a wrap on his wrist during his press conference following the team’s last game, a win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.
Asked what happened with his wrist, Doncic said, “I don’t know, honestly. Started feeling it in the first quarter.” He added that it was “nothing serious.” Despite his claims, the team’s medical staff decided that he needed to give his wrist some time to heal.
This has been a frustrating season for Doncic and the Mavericks, who are coming off a trip to the NBA Finals. They’re just 8-7, which has them in 11th place in the crowded Western Conference, and while Doncic has put up his usual gaudy numbers — 28.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.6 assists — he has not looked great in the process. He’s shooting just 43.5% from the field overall, which is his worst mark since his rookie season, and 32.4% from behind the arc, which is his worst since his sophomore campaign.
Perhaps the clearest sign of Doncic’s struggles this season is that he has not been a free throw machine. In the last three seasons, he finished third, fourth and sixth in the league, respectively, in free throw attempts per game. This season, he’s 17th at a career-low 6.6. Meanwhile, his free throw rate — the number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt — is down to .290. His previous career low was .349.
The Mavericks will be back on the court again, without Doncic, against the Denver Nuggets on Friday. They’ll then head to the East Coast to take on the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks before returning home to host the New York Knicks next Wednesday. Per Charania, Doncic will not take part in any of those games.
That’s not the toughest stretch ever, but it’s also not the easiest, especially with three of the four games coming on the road. Even though Doncic has not been at his best thus far, the team has still been markedly better when he plays. They have a plus-8.3 net rating with Doncic on the court and a plus-2.4 net rating when he sits.
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