Mavericks are dealing with a Luka Doncic time bomb that must be addressed now

If you've watched any Dallas Mavericks games this season, it's evident that Luka Doncic is not himself.

Doncic set the bar high after his wild year last year in which he averaged 33.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 38.2 percent from downtown on 10.6 attempts per game while also nearly winning the MVP, but this year has been a different story.

Doncic suffered a calf injury right at the beginning of training camp, and since then, his production has been way down when evaluating him according to the standard that he has set over the last few years.

Doncic is averaging 28.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.8 assists while shooting 32.1 percent from downtown this season, and he is playing nowhere near the level that we know he is capable of. His 3-point shooting is way off, his finishing has been down, and his defense hasn't been great either.

Doncic's knee injury is concerning, and it may be time for him to rest

Dallas defeated one of the best teams in the West last night, the Oklahoma City Thunder, without Doncic, and this game raised the question to many fans on whether Doncic is hurting the Mavs this season due to his struggles to play fast and lock down on defense.

Doncic did just fine playing faster and improving his defense last season, and his knee injury that he is dealing with right now may be more serious than expected. He missed last night's game against OKC due to this same injury, and it's clear that his knee is hindering his performance lately. Something has been off with Doncic almost all season, and it could relate to him playing injured.

He isn't getting the same lift on his jumpers, he hasn't been able to shake defenders in space, and his lateral quickness on defense has been concerning. All of these things can likely stem from him being injured, and if he isn't at 100 percent now, how can he get there?

The NBA season has been going on for less than a month, and it's not like he is going to have a good time to recover from his injury(ies) unless he wants to miss some games. The severity of what is going on with Doncic is unknown right now, as he and the Mavs typically keep injury intel close to the vest, but even Doncic himself will tell you that he isn't feeling the best.

You can tell by just watching him that he is laboring, and he has taken some hard falls and can often be seen grimacing during games due to the pain that he is going through. Mavs fans are used to having mini heart attacks during games due to Doncic looking like he is injured and then usually coming back to the game, but the way that his injuries are affecting him right now is comparable to what was going on in the NBA Playoffs last season.

He isn't able to effectively play his game, and his next couple of performances will be telling as to what kind of condition Doncic is in after resting against the Thunder. Dallas' next game is tomorrow night against the New Orleans Pelicans, and it remains unknown if Doncic will play or not.

This same right knee contusion had Doncic on the injury report for last Saturday's game against the San Antonio Spurs, and even though he played, he wasn't great. Doncic finished with 16 points on 6-16 shooting, and after the game, he admitted he was " a little bit less" than 100 percent when asked about how he felt physically.

He is always one to battle through injuries, and he typically plays unless he physically can't, but it may be smart for him to take some time off to recover and rest his knee and whatever other injuries he may be dealing with. Doncic did not travel to Oklahoma City, and the Mavs could elect to rest him again tomorrow against the Pelicans if his injury is as serious as it seems by what we've seen from him on the floor thus far.

It would be much better for him to recover from this now and get to 100 percent rather than waiting around and hoping that he can somehow recover while also playing games, and the Mavs may be dealing with a tricky time bomb when it comes to navigating this strange stretch for Doncic.

Anyone who has ever watched Doncic knows that this version we have seen from him this season isn't the real him, and the Mavs will have to figure out how they want to handle this quickly.