Dallas — Among the Dallas Mavericks who will miss the team’s opening preseason game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night are Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving. Although clubs are frequently hesitant to give their players a lot of playing time in the preseason, Thompson and Irving are out for “rest.” Jason Kidd, the head coach of the Mavericks, stated that Thompson and Irving will probably participate in the three preseason games that the Mavs still have left.
On Thursday night, the Mavericks will host the Utah Jazz. According to Kidd’s remarks, Thompson and Irving might wind up playing in their first NBA preseasons together on Thursday night in 2024–25.
Thompson is one of the all-time great three-point shooters, having been acquired by the Mavericks in the off-season. Even still, Thompson will need to adjust to a new team because he previously played his entire career for the Golden State Warriors. The Mavericks want their players to play together throughout the preseason to build chemistry.
Since Luka Doncic is still recovering from a calf injury, it is still unclear when he will make a comeback. The Mavs want Irving and Thompson to get some experience playing together, if nothing else.
Kidd stated, “Those two (Irving and Thompson) coach each other, so the continuity is getting better every day.” It’s good that neither of them wanted to leave any reps. Klay desires to complete each rep.
In order for the three celebrities to keep building chemistry with one another, Kidd continued, expressing his hope that Doncic would return “soon.” That being said, as at the time this report was written, Doncic had no official return date set.For the Mavs, maintaining their health is the main priority during the preseason. Of course, achieving health can be an added goal, given the injury issues that players like PJ Washington and Luka Doncic are facing (although Washington’s hip ailment is not thought to be significant). The Mavs will proceed cautiously because they are aware of how long the NBA season is.
But Irving and Thompson will probably play soon enough, assuming they’re healthy.