The 2024 NBA Finals were nothing short of painful as the dreams of the Dallas Mavericks crumbled. After an extraordinary season, they were left empty-handed and had no choice but to walk away with nothing but the thought of trying again next year. Moreover, their holiday season was ruined on the Christmas Day matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tons of excitement was in the air for Mavericks fans. Klay Thompson entered the game just three 3-pointers away from passing Reggie Miller on the all-time 3-pointers made list and the fans could not have been more excited. However, that turned into despair at the end of the second quarter.

With Dallas trailing 48-38 with 2:55 remaining in the first half, Luka Dončić appeared to suffer a non-contact leg injury when trying to drive on Jaden McDaniels. Grimacing in pain, he immediately went back to the locker room, and he was later ruled out for the rest of the game with a left calf strain. He is known for dominating on Christmas Day, but the only thing that fans will remember about his performance this season is that he suffered one of the scariest injuries of his career. Dončić has a history of issues with his left calf, missing all or most of the past two preseasons while sitting the first three games of the 2022 playoffs.

For good reasons, fans are worried about his return. Dallas had finally found a rhythm before playing Minnesota on Christmas, as they had won 14 of their previous 17 games before Doncic went down, but this injury has caused them to fall in the standings through the last few weeks. Now, it looks like the Mavs will have to deal with it a bit longer, as sources claim that the Slovenian star will require more time before making his return.

This came up on the Warriors Plus Minus podcast after the Mavs’ 110-105 defeat against the Hornets. While discussing how the Hornets had outplayed the Western team, host Anthony Slater remarked, “I watched the second half of Charlotte-Dallas today, where LaMelo Ball and the Hornets, with Del Curry on the call, are cooking the Mavericks, who, I don’t know, like Luka Doncic feels still pretty far away. They’re tumbling down the standings.”

This comes as no surprise, as the Mavs have been highly inconsistent this season. The situation became even more apparent after Doncic was sidelined. Doncic has missed 19 games this season, during which the team managed a 10-11 record. However, in their last ten games, they’ve only recorded three wins, which is quite concerning. After the Christmas Day injury, Luka was set to be re-evaluated after a month. Meanwhile, it seems like he himself has set a deadline for his return to the court.

According to Shams Charania of ESPN, Doncic’s “goal is to be back before the NBA All-Star break.” Notably, since injuring his calf, Doncic has been spotted shooting standstill jumpers (without jumping) at different practices, and Jason Kidd talked about his rehab process during Dallas’ pregame press conference on Wednesday. “Looks great,” Kidd said of Doncic’s rehab process. “I think he’s trending in the right direction, he’s doing everything that he’s supposed to do.” Kidd also briefly spoke about Luka’s eagerness to return.

“He’s been out long enough and that this is probably the longest he’s ever been out, so I think it’s safe to say he’d like to be back,” he said. Amid all this, if anything has added to the woes of the Mavs, it is Klay Thompson, who, instead of stepping up, has struggled to find his rhythm.

Luka Doncic’s absence sparks concerns for Klay Thompson’s Performance

The Mavericks added Klay to support Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, forming what was expected to be a formidable Big 3. With Thompson on the court, the dynamic duo would have more space to operate and lead the offense. But unfortunately, the 25-year-old had to exit from the picture. And with his absence, even Klay’s playmaking abilities seemed to vanish.

At the start of the season, Klay appeared to regain his confidence and took charge, but now he’s visibly struggling. People knew the former Warrior for his ability to create offense at various levels, but his efficiency has dropped. Even his signature pump fakes, once a key part of his game, are no longer timely.

Despite getting multiple open chances, Klay hesitated to shoot, opting for pump fakes that ultimately ruined his opportunities. Against the Hornets, he had a clear shot to lead the game into overtime. All he needed to do was take the open, deep shot in the final quarter. Instead, he pump-faked and missed a golden opportunity, thus finishing with only seven points.

So far this season, Klay has averaged 13.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and two assists while shooting just over 41% from the field and 38% from beyond the arc. This growing uncertainty surrounding Klay’s performance puts even more pressure on Kyrie Irving, who will have to carry the team on his shoulders until Doncic returns. And when that will happen is still a mystery.