The good news Wednesday was that Luka Dončić was back on the practice floor with the Mavericks.
Bothered by a left calf contusion throughout training camp, the superstar point guard went through all of the workout, coach Jason Kidd said.
But he added that the Mavericks will likely err on the side of caution when it comes to handling the preseason finale Thursday (6:30 p.m. tipoff) against Milwaukee.
“We’ll see how he feels tomorrow,” Kidd said of Dončić. “He did the whole practice and did really, really well.
“But most likely, he probably will not participate tomorrow (against the Bucks). We’ll see. But a lot of positive things for him to go through practice. But we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”
The original game plan was for the last exhibition game to be as close to a dress rehearsal as the Mavericks could get for next week’s regular-season opener (Oct. 24 vs. San Antonio).
But adjusting on the fly is an NBA necessity.
“It is what it is,” Kidd said. “He practiced today and we move forward from what he did today. A lot of positives for him to go through the whole practice. He looked good.
“He did not forget how to play basketball. His ability to make plays for others and himself – he looked good. And we were all happy to see him out there. Klay. Kai did the whole practice. They were great. So a lot of good stuff today.”
Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving have been more consistent participants throughout camp. The hope was that they would get on the court with Luka to expedite the chemistry project that must take place for the Mavericks to become a smooth-running machine.
“Patience is a key for any season,” Kidd said. “In generating chemistry, trust, it’s going to take some time. We have some new pieces and even for the pieces that have been together, you don’t just pick up where you left off. This is a new season.
“Everyone will talk about what we did last year, but that season’s over. This is a new chapter in the journey for this group and we have to generate that chemistry. Internally, the patience has always been there. That’s the one thing we can lean on. We’re not in a hurry. We understand it’s going to take time. There are going to be some turnovers. There’s going to be a point if we lose a game, we come back to work and keep working at our goal and that’s to win a championship.”
While getting everybody together into a preseason game would have been nice, it’s not a major setback that it didn’t happen.
The Mavericks have had practice sessions with Thompson and Irving. On Wednesday, Thompson and Dereck Lively II spent a long session after the team practice working on their two-man game.
“We’ve seen what we needed to up to this point,” Kidd said. “This last one won’t be the dress rehearsal maybe we were hoping for in the sense of everyone playing. But we’ve been in this situation before. As long as everyone is trending in the right direction, which everybody is right now, hopefully on the 24th, we’re all healthy and ready to go.”
He added that starting two days after some teams open their season (on Oct. 22) also could be advantageous for the Mavericks in regard to their health and their chemistry.
Hitting the ground running: As he made his first appearance of the preseason against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, P.J. Washington started quickly and never slowed down.
The 6-7 forward had 10 points, three rebounds and three steals in 19 minutes of action against the Clips.
“I felt really good – super excited to get back on the floor with my teammates,” Washington said Wednesday. “My body felt great. No pain, so that’s the good thing.”
Washington had missed the first two preseason games with hip tightness.
After joining the Mavericks at the trade deadline last season, Washington became a key fixture in their run to the NBA Finals.
But it wasn’t easy, he said.
“It was very tough, obviously, being traded in the middle of the season trying to learn things on the fly,” he said. “Now it’s just second-nature for me.
“I feel more comfortable on both ends of the court. More comfortable playing with Luka and Kai. Just trying to get the familiarity with Klay and understand his game.”
Kidd said he was impressed with the way Washington jumped right into the action after missing time with the injury.
“For P.J., it just shows that when guys are doing their rehab, he came in and looked like he didn’t miss a beat, like he had been participating the whole training camp,” Kidd said. “He looked great. His ability to play-make, to rebound, to play defense – he’s going to carry a heavy load for us on both ends and I thought he was really good in the Clipper game.”
Briefly: Kidd and the Mavericks invited members of the SMU coaching staffs from various sports to attend practice on Wednesday. Basketball coach Andy Enfield, among others, took in the practice. And Kidd came away an expert in Mustang athletics. “It was great,” he said. “SMU, to see the men and women coaches here, it’s pretty cool. Their volleyball women’s team is on fire right now. They’ve knocked off two of the top five teams in the country. Pittsburgh was the latest. Nebraska was earlier in the season. I think SMU sports are on a high level here in town. And I think it’s great.” . . . While Luka was back from injury, Maxi Kleber also got in some work, participating in the non-contact portion of the practice on Wednesday. Kessler Edwards (ankle) and Dante Exum (wrist) remained out . . . Kidd applauded the work of the team on Wednesday. “We didn’t turn the ball over 29 times,” he said of the scrimmage after that was the turnover total in LA against the Clippers. “This was one of our better practices. The intensity and energy were high. Guys were competing. It wasn’t easy. And that’s what we want to see.”
X: @ESefko
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