Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle announced earlier today that NBA All-Star starter Luka Doncic will miss the next six games with an ankle sprain.

The NBA champion coach also expressed hope today that Doncic will be healthy enough to participate in All-Star activities, per the Dallas Morning News' Brad Townsend  The second-year Slovenian native was voted a starter in the Western Conference (Team LeBron) and invited to the Rising Stars Challenge during the league's 2020 All-Star Weekend in Chicago.

Carlisle urged the “importance” of Doncic representing the Mavs at All-Star Weekend.

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“My personal feeling — this is not based on anything medical, not based on anything any doctors or trainers are telling me — I believe [Doncic's] going to be OK by the time the All-Star weekend rolls around. It's just my feeling that he'll be able to participate on some level in those events. That's something that's important to us as a franchise. It's important to him. The number one thing that's most important is that he gets healthy.”

Along with leading the Mavs to the fifth-best record in the Western Conference, Doncic is a leading MVP candidate. He could be the second straight European-born MVP after Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo won the award last year. Doncic has averaged 28.8 pints, 9.5 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game this season. He has shot 46.4% from the field, 32.1% from 3-point range, and 76.3% from the free throw line.

Doncic will be out at least the next six game. The Mavs will inadvertently feel the huge missed impact of the sophomore wing.