Luka Doncic played five minutes against Real Madrid on October 10th, briefly and casually taking the floor on his strained left calf to ensure his return trip to Spain wasn't entirely wasted by injury. The Dallas Mavericks superstar hasn't taken the floor since, with his team closing out preseason action on Friday night against the Detroit Pistons with Doncic once again watching from the bench.

Rushing Doncic back before he's fully healthy just for some additional exhibition reps before the regular season tips off next week would be foolish. He shoulders as heavy a burden as any player in the league, and is a true basketball savant. Doncic doesn't need anymore court time in the preseason to prepare himself for the 82-game grind. Unfortunately, Dallas' informed sense of caution with regard to his calf injury isn't the reason Doncic is sidelined vs. the Pistons.

As coach Jason Kidd told reporters before Friday's game, Doncic is still being evaluated by team medical personnel while recovering from his calf strain. Even more ominous? There's still no timetable for his return to the floor, per Grant Afseth of Dallas Basketball.

Luka Doncic's past and present calf injuries

This isn't the first time Doncic has dealt with a left calf strain. He missed the first three games of Dallas' first-round matchup against the Utah Jazz in the 2022 playoffs with the same injury, returning to help the Mavs close out the Jazz then upset the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Semifinals. Doncic wasn't quite as dominant facing the Golden State Warriors with an NBA Finals berth on the line, but not due to lingering effects of the injury. The Mavs just didn't have enough firepower around Doncic to make his life easier tangling with the Dubs' litany of quality wing defenders.

Doncic missed just less than two weeks between the end of the 2022 regular season and his return for the playoffs. Dallas opens 2023-24 versus Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on October 25th, 15 days after he'll have previously taken the floor for a few minutes against Real Madrid. If past history is any indication, he could very well be available for opening night, playing at full health.

Kidd described Doncic's calf strain as “mild” earlier this week, and he said on Friday that he's doing “light” on-court work. There's nothing to suggest that Doncic's injury is serious, basically. Still, the last thing Dallas needs is for him to enter the regular season still recovering from a nagging injury that could dog him for much longer if not properly addressed.

Let's hope more time off from strenuous basketball activity between now and next Wednesday helps Doncic put any lingering calf discomfort behind him. Otherwise, it might be prudent for Dallas to continue sitting Doncic until all of his pain subsides.