Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic will miss at least a week with a sprained right wrist. according to Shams Charania. Doncic wore a bandage on his wrist during his news conference after the team’s last game, a win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.
When asked what happened to his wrist, Doncic saying“I don’t know, honestly. I started feeling it in the first quarter.” He added that it was “nothing serious.” Despite his claims, the team’s medical staff decided he needed to give his wrist some time to heal.
This has been a frustrating season for Doncic and the Mavericks, who are coming off a trip to the NBA Finals. They’re just 8-7, which puts them 11th in the crowded Western Conference, and while Doncic has put up his usual eye-catching numbers (28.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.6 assists), he hasn’t looked very good in the process. . He’s shooting just 43.5% from the field overall, which is his worst mark since his rookie season, and 32.4% from behind the arc, which is his worst mark since his sophomore campaign.
Perhaps the clearest sign of Doncic’s struggles this season is that he hasn’t been a free throw machine. Over the last three seasons he finished third, fourth and sixth in the league, respectively, in free throw attempts per game. This season, he ranks 17th with a career-low 6.6. Meanwhile, his free throw rate (the number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt) has dropped to .290. His previous career low was .349.
The Mavericks will return to the court, without Doncic, against the Denver Nuggets on Friday. They will then head to the East Coast to take on the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks before returning home to host the New York Knicks next Wednesday. According to Charania, Doncic will not participate in any of those games.
That’s not the toughest stretch ever, but it’s not the easiest either, especially with three of the four games coming on the road. Although Doncic hasn’t been at his best thus far, the team has been noticeably better when he plays. They have a +8.3 net rating with Doncic on the court and a +2.4 net rating when he sits.
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