Scary truth about Luka Doncic will make or break Mavericks' title dreams

After losing to the Houston Rockets on Thursday night, the Dallas Mavericks extended their losing streak to three straight games with Luka Doncic sidelined with a left calf strain that he suffered on Christmas Day against the Minnesota Timberwolves. In addition to Doncic's injury, the Mavericks are suffering an alarming amount of absences to their starting lineup with P.J. Washington's recent knee injury also being listed on the Mavs' injury report ahead of their Friday night matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It's uncertain if Washington will miss any serious time with his knee injury, but it's no secret the Mavericks are suffering from the number of suspensions and injuries they have faced this season. Despite all of the adversity, the team is still afloat with a 20-14 record and is currently the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. However, they are in danger of dipping lower if they fail to acquire frontcourt depth at the trade deadline.

With this in mind, the team needs to make a move sooner rather than later and Doncic needs to get in the best shape possible before returning to the lineup to avoid missing any more time with nagging lower body injuries.

Doncic must get in elite shape to remain healthy for remainder of season

It's no secret that Doncic has suffered his fair share of injuries to begin this season. To make matters worse, Doncic got little rest time over the offseason which could be a large reason for the concerning amount of injuries fans have witnessed in the Slovenian superstar's last few months.

Since the beginning of the season, Doncic has suffered five lower body injuries which will soon eliminate him from end-of-season awards such as MVP and All-NBA teams. While awards are the least of Doncic's concerns, playoff availability is. Doncic is locked in on winning the NBA Finals, and in order to lead Dallas to the mountaintop, he needs to be fully healthy. NBA fans didn't get to see a fully healthy Doncic in the playoffs last season due to all of the injuries he dealt with, and the Mavs will need him to be healthy in order to take that next step in the playoffs this season.

One of Doncic's biggest knocks from the national media throughout his career has been his lack of game shape throughout the season. While many of these concerns are completely overblown, Doncic needs to get into mid-season form before he returns from injury to ensure that he can remain as healthy as possible for the remainder of the season.

As fans have witnessed recently, the Mavericks struggle to win games without their superstar's presence. Despite Dallas' superb depth in the backcourt, it has proven to be not enough considering the Mavericks' bad spell of injuries.

In addition to the Mavericks' injury-riddled season, Doncic's slow start and questionable conditioning limited the team to begin the season. With this in mind, he must make it a priority to come back from this injury in the best shape he possibly can.

As fans dwindle on Doncic's best moments with him sidelined, the 2020 bubble run comes to mind for many. Doncic was not only in the best shape of his career but also playing some of his best basketball due to his insane cardio in the playoffs.

While MVP and All-NBA awards are all but gone for Doncic this season, he can now focus on returning without rushing the rehab process. Doncic's health has not only proven to be a season-defining factor but it also could be a career-defining factor if Doncic fails to return healthy and in shape.

This is Doncic's best shot at winning a title considering Dallas has surrounded the superstar with the best talent he's ever had in his young career, and fans have seen how deadly the Mavs can be when they are fully healthy. However, health could jeopardize the Mavericks' golden opportunity to hoist their second Larry O'Brien trophy.