Mavericks: 3 potential distractions during training camp

Potential distraction during Dallas Mavericks training camp: 2. Unvaccinated players

Vaccination status is a hot topic in the NBA to start the 2021-2022 season. The league did not mandate its players to be vaccinated, but the health and safety protocols differ between the two parties. Unvaccinated players are facing the protocols players underwent last season that caused added stress.

The NBA is also following local government ordinances, which change quickly in this day and age. The Warriors, Nets, and Knicks players are not allowed to play in their home games if they are not vaccinated, which has brought Andrew Wiggins and Kyrie Irving into the spotlight as potentially missing 41 games this season.

If other government ordinances change, it could impact those players further and force them to miss additional time. The league is reportedly 90 percent vaccinated with multiple teams claiming their entire roster was on media day. Below is what head coach Jason Kidd had to say about the Mavericks.

"It is very high… I would say it is in the 90 percentile, so it is very high."

Kidd noted that is “our goal to be 100 percent vaccinated”, but the Mavs are not there yet. Until they reach that benchmark, it could be a difficult season for those unvaccinated players between underdoing daily protocols and potentially being forced to miss games. This is a story to keep an eye on league-wide as the regular season approaches.