5 Mavericks who must step up after Luka Doncic's devastating calf injury

On Wednesday afternoon, the Dallas Mavericks had their Christmas Day ruined at the American Airlines Center.

Late in the second quarter, Luka Doncic went down with a calf strain and did not return to the game. Doncic is seemingly always dealing with a hurt calf, and the lower body injuries keep coming for the Slovenian superstar.

Doncic has dealt with a heel contusion, calf contusion, and a knee contusion just this season, and him suffering this calf strain just two games after returning from his heel contusion is not ideal. He knew that he was seriously injured right away, and the reporting of what's going on with Doncic has reflected that as well.

5 Mavericks who must deliver after Luka Doncic's injury

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Mavericks "are bracing for star Luka Doncic to miss an extended period of time." This is not the news that Mavs fans wanted to hear, and they are going to be forced to seriously adapt.

The Mavs have played well in Doncic's absence at other times this season, as they are 6-2 without him, and these Mavericks are going to have to make their presence felt while he is sidelined.

5. Naji Marshall

Naji Marshall was excellent during Doncic's absence earlier in the season, and the Mavs have to get him going following two straight performances.

In the eight games that Doncic has missed this season, Marshall has averaged 16.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 56.0 percent from the field and 48.3 percent from downtown, and the Mavs are going to need more of this. Marshall already handles the ball often with Doncic in the lineup, and he is only going to be bringing the ball up even more without him.

4. Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving was excellent in Doncic's absence on Christmas Day as he finished with 39 points while shooting 14-27 from the field, and even more weight is going to be on his shoulders while Doncic is sidelined. They are going to need a lot out of him, and he is more than capable of taking over more.

Irving has a great sense of knowing when to take his game to the next level, and that time is now. The Mavs are deep in the hunt to snag one of the top seeds in the Western Conference, and they can't afford to slide in the standings.

3. Spencer Dinwiddie

One of Spencer Dinwiddie's most underrated aspects is his ability to be a spot starter, and he could end up having plenty of opportunities to do this moving forward. Dinwiddie has had some great moments this season, but he's also had some stinkers, and his role will likely soar through the roof.

His ability to thrive with just Irving is going to be put to the test, and the Mavs are going to need much more from him than what we've seen from him over the last two games. He has scored just five points in 28 minutes over the last two games, and they'll need him to get back to being dominant.

He can go off at any moment, and he is poised to have some big games moving forward.

2. Jaden Hardy

Jaden Hardy will likely get his chance to return to the rotation with Doncic out of the lineup, and this could be his chance to prove to the Mavs that he belongs moving forward. Dallas signed Hardy to a three-year extension before the season began, and the time is now for the Hardy party to return to the American Airlines Center.

They're going to need his scoring bursts to come around, and if he can be consistent in his minutes and drill open shots while taking care of the ball, Mavs fans will be ecstatic.

1. Klay Thompson

Klay Thompson is starting to get into the swing of things, and Dallas is going to need the big performances to continue. He is fresh off of passing Reggie Miller on the all-time 3-pointers made list on Christmas, and now he'll have the chance for his role to increase even more.

Thompson has been elite in December, and Jason Kidd will likely lean on him more as he continues to get more comfortable with his role. His scoring inside the arc continues to improve, and if this continues, the Mavs could end up being in a good spot once Doncic returns.