Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic rolled his ankle pretty badly a minute and 40 seconds into their home game against the Miami Heat last night.
The reigning Rookie of the Year appeared to be clutching the high area of his ankle, which is normally not a good sign as high ankle sprains tend to sideline players for a pretty significant amount of time. X-rays, though, reportedly came back negative. So, in turn, the injury could be worse.
According to Brad Townsend of Dallas Morning News, there is optimism around the organization that the sprain isn't severe. Several reports, likewise, said that he suffered a “moderate” ankle sprain. Still, there is no official word on how much time Doncic will miss.
Though several people in the Mavs organization expressed cautious optimism last night that Doncic’s ankle sprain isn’t severe, overnight swelling levels and day-after examinations always are key, so let’s hold off on speculating about how long he will be out.
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) December 15, 2019
The Mavericks are now playing the waiting game on Doncic's official timetable. If the sprain is indeed as severe as it initially looked and he will miss a significant amount of time, should the Mavericks hit the panic button?
There probably isn't a need to just yet. Dallas should at least play out the next few games to see how their top-of-the-league offense would fare without their primary playmaker.
Dallas actually felt the initial shock of Doncic's sudden absence after they went down by as much as 24 points against Miami. The Mavericks were eventually able to recover their bearings and stormed back to force the game into overtime, but came up short in the end.
Nevertheless, the fact that Dallas was able to rally back into the game without their superstar guard is a good starting sign for this team.
Obviously, with the offense running heavily through the Slovenian Sensation, it's going to be difficult to replace everything he brings to the table. Production-wise, they would have to fill in the 30 points he puts up and the nine assists he dishes out every night. Aside from those, they will sorely miss his ability to score the ball in a variety of ways, see the floor with his on-the-point vision, and find the open man.
There's no need for the Mavericks to immediately push the panic button should they find out the bad news that Doncic will miss a lot of time. They should see first how they will play without the former EuroLeague MVP. It will have to be an all-around team effort to replace the output that Doncic produces on a nightly basis.
Doncic's absence may also force others to step up their games and play a more featured role in the offense. Likewise, this could be a great opportunity for the Mavs to run the offense through Kristaps Porzingis, who is still working his way back into form. Guys such as Jalen Brunson, Seth Curry, and perhaps even Tim Hardaway Jr. will have more playmaking opportunities on their plates.
However, if the Mavs struggle, the losses start piling up, and they slide down the standings, it might force the organization to consider making changes that will help keep the team afloat as it looks to make the postseason for the first time since 2016.
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