Injuries are beginning to pile up for the Dallas Mavericks amid an 11-8 start to the NBA season.
Lingering injuries to stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving dominated headlines in the preseason, especially after Doncic’s injury scare in Spain, but other significant contributors have begun to miss time over recent weeks as the Mavericks have lost five of their last seven games.
Irving, guard Tim Hardaway Jr., and forward Grant Williams are all “day-to-day” and questionable for Wednesday’s home game against the Utah Jazz. At the same time, injuries to promising young guard Josh Green and veteran forward Maxi Kleber appear to be more severe and will keep them out of the lineup, with Green expected to miss “multiple weeks.”
That means the Mavericks could be playing without four of their top seven scorers on Wednesday night.
Head coach Jason Kidd told reporters that Irving and Hardaway Jr. returned to practice on Monday while Williams missed practice with “right knee soreness,” and timetables for Green and Kleber to return are still unknown.
Kleber has only appeared in five games this season, has not played in almost a month, and is expected to miss both Wednesday’s and Friday’s games.
“There’s no new update,” Kidd told the media about Kleber after Monday’s practice. “He’s working in the weight room, and he’s been on the court for spot shooting, but that’s it.”
Kidd also added that Kleber has not done any running yet during his rehab, which would likely be a crucial step toward getting him back on the floor.
Despite the injuries, Kidd has been encouraged by how some players, especially the younger ones, have stepped up. Rookie Dereck Lively II had a career-high 20 points, 16 rebounds, and seven blocks in Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma City, while guard AJ Lawson helped lead a 30-0 run.
“With the health situation, we kept him up with us,” Kidd said of Lawson. “We’ll see how our health goes, but he will get a chance if guys are out. … It’s a compliment to him to be able to be ready the other night, and the way he played was a big part of the comeback.”
Veteran forward Derrick Jones Jr. also helped out with 24 points.
The Mavericks (11-8) return to the floor against Utah (7-13) at 7:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday at the American Airlines Center.