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When Luka Doncic went down with an injury in the final game of the regular season, many fans worried for the Dallas Mavericks. Losing their star right before the playoffs is less than ideal, to say the least. The team's reliance on Doncic made the injury far more devastating in the eyes of fans.
However, much to the surprise of many, the Mavs did not falter. Far from it, the team thrived in the chaos, handing the reins to Jalen Brunson. As they take a 2-1 series lead over the Jazz, a question surrounding Luka Doncic's return looms: should they keep their star out for the series?
The bold Luka Doncic plan Mavs must consider in series vs. Jazz
If you didn't hear already, Luka Doncic is set to return from his hamstring injury in Game 4. The Mavs initially ruled him out of Game 3 out of precaution, but reports were that the star was ready to go. Therefore, it made sense for him to sit out Game 3, and prepare for a Game 4 matchup.
However… Games 2 and 3 showed that the Mavs are doing just fine without Doncic, at least against the Jazz. Jason Kidd has seemingly cracked the Rudy Gobert code and has obliterated the Utah defense completely. Even without their superstar forward, Dallas has scored a combined 236 points in their last two games.
A lot of their success has to do with the play of their other guards in the rotation. Jalen Brunson transformed back to his Villanova form for the Mavs, anchoring the Mavs offense in Doncic's stead. Meanwhile, Spencer Dinwiddie has regained his form and is back to terrorizing smaller guards against him.
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With Brunson and Dinwiddie not showing any signs of slowing down, the question is simple. Should the Mavs hold off on getting Doncic back on the court?
To be absolutely clear: this is not a knock on Doncic by saying that the Mavs are better without him. The reasoning for this is simply to avoid any further injury on the Slovenian star by rushing his return to the court.
It's commonly known that you are more likely to aggravate an injury if you don't come back at 100%. It's why players are hesitant to play through an injury unless absolutely necessary. The Mavs don't exactly need Doncic back yet, because the Jazz are yet to show any good answers for their lineup right now. Another injury to him will be the death of their playoff run.
If the Mavs feel like benching Doncic completely against the Jazz is too bold, then they can take a page out of their conference rival's playbook. The Golden State Warriors are currently bringing Stephen Curry off the bench as he recovers from an injury he sustained in the regular season. The Mavs would be wise to do the same thing for Doncic, as bringing him off the bench allows you to restrict his minutes while keeping him ready in case the game gets into crunch time.
Of course, the Mavs could just go ahead and fully clear Doncic for Game 4 in his usual role. That would allow him to get back into game shape before starting the next series. Brunson and Dinwiddie's stellar play, though, has opened up a path for this team to get a fully-healthy Doncic AND a first-round series win without too much risk.
