By james art After noting that he, Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving have yet to play together, Luka Doncic reflected on the past week, when the trio practiced together several times.
His analysis?
“It’s going to be fun over there.”
Those six words should put Mavericks fans at ease heading into Thursday’s regular-season opener against San Antonio at the American Airlines Center.
This is a game where, barring something unforeseen, Doncic, Irving and Thompson will start back to back. And the long journey/chemistry project will begin.
“I think we’re training great. I think we’re ready,” Doncic said Tuesday after a tough practice that featured every Maverick except Dante Exum, who is out after wrist surgery.
“We have to show every day what kind of players we are, what we work for. Our mission is to set the tone early and (make sure) people know we’re there. We’re not kidding. One thing: we have to play hard. That’s all.
Luca remembers last season, when the Mavericks were a pedestrian 26-23 five days before they made the trades for Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington. The team then soared all the way to the NBA Finals.
In 2022-23, they were under .500 (15-16) a few days before Christmas. This season never caught fire after the Kyrie Irving trade.
The Mavericks would like to make a statement early this season.
“We talk about health, we talk about racing,” coach Jason Kidd said. “The competition is high here at training. To see the transfer of what we talk about in the film (sessions). Now can we bring it to gaming?
“Four our group, it’s about the ability to execute. Practices have been good since Luca came back. Hopefully we can play the way we’ve been training.”
Doncic suffered a left calf injury on the first day of camp in Las Vegas. He didn’t play in any of the four preseason games and was held out of all practices until last week.
He said Tuesday that the injury has healed well.
“It (didn’t) hurt much, but you have to heal it,” he said. “It’s good now. It’s perfect. I practice everything.”
Asked if he missed valuable opportunities to build some chemistry with Thompson, he said: “Probably. Games are always different from practice. So we’ll see on Thursday. I’m sure there will be some excitement.”
There is no doubt about that.
But Kidd said the last four or five practices, all of which Doncic has taken full part in, look very solid in addition to being extremely competitive.
“There’s no other Luca here,” Kidd said. “He’s the Luca we’ve been seeing for the last few years. The things he does on the floor on both ends – I think he made a conscious effort defensively. He does it at a high level. And offensively, the problems it creates – it looks good. The starting unit looks good. There will be a feel (out) period with this group. It’s going to take a while, but so far everyone looks good.”
Not that it will be a well-oiled machine from kick-off (6.30pm) against Spurs on Thursday.
That’s not what this season is about. While the Mavericks want to start fast, they prefer to finish fast.
And that means developing a rapport with Thompson.
“That will come later in the games,” Luca said. “There’s not a lot of adjustment (for me). If it’s open, he’ll knock it down. This is Klay Thompson, one of the greatest shooters of all time.”
Just like Doncic does almost everything well.
Kidd emphasized several times during training camp that last season’s success means nothing now. And he is right.
But Luca said remembering the pain of losing in the Finals could be useful motivation for the Mavericks.
“Why don’t you look back?” he said. “Looking back, we know how difficult it is. It’s very important to have that (championship) mentality from the start.”
And Kidd knows that won’t be a question — at least not as far as Doncic is concerned.
“He’s one of the best, if not the best, in the world,” Kidd said. “For him, it’s about improving on what he did last year, which is a pretty high bar, but one he’s set for himself and we believe he’ll achieve the same numbers, if not better.”
“His motivation is always high. He is a competitor. He wants to win. Like every other season, he wants to win a championship.”
Hardy gets an extension: The Mavericks announced Tuesday night that they have agreed to a multiyear contract extension with guard Jaden Hardy.
Hardy enters his third season after averaging 7.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in a career-high 73 games, including seven starts, in 2023-24. The 6-4 guard recorded three game with at least seven assists. On January 5, 2024, against Portland, Hardy had a career-high 19 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists.
In his debut season, Hardy averaged 8.8 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 48 games. He recorded five 25-point games as a rookie, the second-most by a Maverick before turning 21 (Luka Doncic, 57).
The 22-year-old Detroit native played one year for the G League Ignite before being selected 37th overall by Sacramento in the 2022 NBA Draft and traded to the Mavericks on draft night.
X: @ESefko