Mavericks drop major hint on Luka Doncic's looming return from nagging injury

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic hasn't had the start to the season that most fans expected following his MVP-level season last year that helped take the Mavs all the way to the NBA Finals, and a large reason for that can be attributed to the various injuries that he has suffered over the last few months.

Doncic's downward injury spiral started early in training camp when he suffered a calf contusion, and this caused him to miss the entire preseason. While Doncic was able to return for opening night, he never fully looked like his normal self despite having a couple of big games, and him missing the entire preseason could have led to this slow start.

He later suffered a knee contusion that caused him to miss one game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but in the first game he returned, he got injured again. Doncic suffered a wrist sprain early on in that game against the New Orleans Pelicans, and despite the pain, he played through it.

All signs point to Doncic returning to the hardwood soon

Doncic didn't think the injury was a big deal when asked about why his wrist was wrapped during postgame media availability, but this nagging wrist injury has caused him to miss the past four games. Dallas has managed to win three of the four games that Doncic has missed with this wrist injury, and his return to playing action is on the way.

Doncic is officially listed as doubtful for tonight's game against the Utah Jazz, but the fact that he is even listed as doubtful is a huge step in the right direction for him when speculating about when he could return. He was never even listed as doubtful for any of the last four games that he has missed, and he is making steady progress on making a return.

Doncic is going through practice and traveling with the team for the next two games, and the fact that he traveled with the team to Utah and Portland could mean that he has a good shot at playing tomorrow night against the Trail Blazers. He did not travel on the Mavs' road trip to Denver, Miami, and Atlanta last week, and even if he doesn't return against the Blazers, he'll have another chance to play on Tuesday night at home against the Memphis Grizzlies for Dallas' final NBA Cup Group Stage game.

Despite the Mavs typically not giving much information in press releases or press conferences, they naturally hint at when a player is trending towards returning to the lineup through the injury report. The injured player typically begins on the injury report as doubtful, and as they inch closer to returning, they'll be listed as questionable before eventually making their return.

Doncic's return to the hardwood is being highly anticipated by his teammates and fans alike, and the Mavs will have the chance to become even more dangerous with him in the lineup. Dallas is 11-8 and in seventh place in the Western Conference, but a fully healthy Doncic being added to a team that is already playing at an elite level should scare the rest of the NBA.

Doncic is one of the most hard players to stop in the NBA when he's healthy and fully engaged, and time will tell if his knee and wrist injuries are fully healed when he takes the floor sometime soon.