Dallas Mavericks: Luka Doncic is not getting the rest he needs

NBA All-Star weekend is full of fun and excitement for basketball fans. This year, that excitement is even bigger for Dallas Mavericks fans. But, is this level of involvement what the Mavs need from Luka Doncic?

The Dallas Mavericks will be key participants in the 2019 All-Star weekend festivities, with Luka Doncic and Dirk Nowitzki representing the team in four of the five main events (former Maverick, Dennis Smith Jr. would’ve given the team the full five). Between the Rising Stars Challenge, the Skills Challenge, the Three-Point contest and the All-Star game, those two are going to be busy.

For Dirk, this is all about the last hurrah from the league. With retirement looming over the big German, the NBA thought it necessary to include him in as many areas of the weekend as possible. This was commendable from the league as people deserve to see one of the greatest players of all time back on the big stage one last time.

For Luka, however, this weekend represents a whole lot of rest that he could be getting if he hadn’t taken the NBA by storm. After competing in EuroLeague and then Spanish League leading up to this season, Luka Doncic got almost no time for rest and even less time for true NBA preparation.

The lack of any sort of real break over the last several months has been weighing on Luka lately as you can see in his games that he is starting to show signs of exhaustion. It may be nothing too serious, but the kid does have to carry this team for 26 more games still. That is a hefty workload.

For that reason, I am kind of hoping that the rumors about Anthony Davis missing the All-Star Game are not true. At this point, it seems like Luka may be the most likely replacement candidate, along with Rudy Gobert if Davis does decide to sit the game out. With Luka already in Charlotte, his chances go up even more.

If Luka did end up getting the call up, something he is very qualified for, that would mean he is playing on three consecutive days with the Rising Stars Challenge tonight, the Skills Challenge tomorrow and then the All-Star Game tomorrow. That is a hefty workload for an already very tired 19-year old.

I would love to see Luka in the All-Star game. I believe he was robbed in the new format and that more people want to see him there than almost any other player in the league. But, I also believe that he needs some rest. It is hard to gauge what is better, but either way, Luka is an unbelievable talent that deserves every ounce of recognition that he gets.