Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd offers update on Luka Doncic leg injury

Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd recently joined Marc Stein on The Stein Line on 97.1 The Freak to discuss the Mavs’ upcoming season and to offer an update on Luka Doncic prior to the start of training camp.

Here are some of the highlights, edited for clarity.

Marc Stein: “Was this the longest offseason of your life? You do the math and the Mavs haven’t played a real game since April 9. More than five months. What has this wait been like for you, just to get back to work with this group?”

Jason Kidd: “Yeah I think this might only be the second time in my basketball career in a playoff as a player, maybe only two or three. As a coach, Milwaukee and now this here in Dallas. So it’s rare, but I think this was actually a positive summer in so many ways. Being able to be successful in the draft, also in free agency, and give us a young, exciting team, one that’s athletic. So I’m excited about this year. It was a long [offseason] but it’s [over] and I’m excited to have an opportunity to put these guys in a position to be successful.”

Stein: “I know you went to Slovenia to pay Luka a visit, and I know you watched him in the World Cup. It’s impossible to ignore what he said, he was asked about his leg and an injury which surfaced in the spring. His words were “not okay.” So as his coach, what’s your level of concern over where Luka is physically after a summer with his national team?”

Kidd: “Well, we went to visit, when I say we I mean my family, we spent a week there in his hometown. It was a beautiful city and country. Got to see him practice twice with his national team. He looked incredible, he was doing two-a-days. He was in great spirits. He loves to play for his national team.

“You talk about the leg injury, I think hopefully as we go forward here he is gonna be ready to go. I presume that sometimes in our career we’re not 100%, maybe we’re 99 or 95%. The more games you play, the longer your career, I think you can ask anyone, no one’s really 100%. But now looking at our roster, hopefully we don’t have to play him 40-plus minutes a night. With the depth that we have, I thought Nico did an incredible job this summer.

“But I think right now I’m excited with Luka and [Kyrie Irving] and having Luka ready to go and to achieve his goals, and that’s to win a championship.”

To listen to the full interview, click here.

Twitter: @dmn_mavericks

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