Luka Doncic played over 90 minutes between Friday and Saturday's back-to-back and Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd understands that heavy workload can't become a trend. Prior to Monday's game against the Orlando Magic, Kidd said Doncic won't play 46 minutes (he played just over 46 minutes on Saturday in Dallas' 120-115 loss to the Sacramento Kings) again, and said that Dallas cannot “lean on” Doncic to “save the day every time.”
“Just know that you're not gonna play 46 minutes tonight,” Kidd said of Doncic. “We can't put that type of pressure on him. He loves to play the game of basketball no matter what the minutes are. But as a whole, we can't run his minutes like that, especially back-to-back or with a day off. We gotta let other guys participate. Hopefully we can put those guys in a position to be successful.
“But we can't lean on him to save the day every time. He's gotta take a break, he's gotta rest. It's not just about the game in the moment it's about going forward. And so, again, we've talked about our health isn't very good but we've got other guys that can pick up the slack and they're going to have to tonight.”
The good news is that despite being listed as questionable on the injury report ahead of Saturday's game, Doncic was absent from Monday's injury report. Kyrie Irving, Derrick Jones Jr., and Dante Exum were all unfortunately ruled out for the contest, however.
Mavericks: Luka Doncic's playing time moving forward
Jason Kidd's comments about Luka Doncic are not just for the game on Monday. Dallas wants to keep their superstar healthy moving forward, and he obviously won't average 45-46 minutes per game all season long. Still, he was averaging 37.3 minutes per outing heading into the clash against the Magic, per Basketball Reference.
Once Kyrie Irving returns, the Mavs will be able to rest Luka more often. The trick with Irving still out, though, will be finding ways to rest Doncic and still remain competitive in games.
The Mavericks have other talented players on the roster. Tim Hardaway Jr. can heat up fast and is making a case for Sixth Man of the Year. Dereck Lively II has emerged as a crucial big man for Dallas. Finding ways to get other players like Grant Williams and Maxi Kleber involved on a consistent basis will be pivotal as well.
Monday's game against Orlando will give Kidd and Dallas a test without question. Orlando most recently defeated the Phoenix Suns and they will challenge Dallas. It will be interesting to see how the Mavericks approach Doncic's playing time, and if they can find success when he is not on the floor.
Follow Us
Subscribe