The Dallas Mavericks have battled as much adversity as any other team in the Western Conference this season, and this adversity started at the beginning of training camp when Luka Doncic suffered a calf contusion.
This injury threw off Doncic's game for some time, and while he is now fully healthy and playing at an elite level, injuries were not his friend in the first quarter of this season as he also suffered a wrist sprain and knee contusion.
Sickness has also passed through the locker room over the last week and a half or so, as Daniel Gafford, Quentin Grimes, Dereck Lively II, and Naji Marshall have missed a game due to illness, and Marshall's absence due to this illness will continue tonight against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Thompson's return comes with limits despite feeling 'great'
While the Mavs will be without Marshall and Dante Exum (wrist surgery) tonight against Memphis, Klay Thompson will make his return to the lineup after missing the last four games with left foot plantar fascia. The Mavs were able to go undefeated without Thompson over this four-game stretch, and while other role players were able to hold down the fort while he was out, his return has been highly anticipated by fans for some time now.
During his press conference before tonight's game against the Grizzlies, Kidd dove into Thompson's injury recovery and what he expects out of him in his return. There was some concern from Mavs fans about the severity of Thompson's injury considering he missed four games and there were very limited updates from Dallas when it came to his recovery, but Kidd's update on everything provides these fans with a breath of fresh air.
"We've got to get him back into the flow of things," Kidd said. "He feels better. He feels great, so we'll see how it goes."
Kidd also included that he plans to play Thompson for about 20 minutes tonight against Memphis, and those 20 minutes will be telling of how his recovery went. Thompson has been doing spot shooting for multiple days now, and him returning to the lineup should give the Mavs a big boost and help them remain one of the top contenders in the Western Conference amid this major hot streak in which they have won eight of their last nine games.
Through having Thompson on this minutes restriction, the Mavs will be able to gauge what kind of shape he's in while also allowing him to ease back into playing without putting too much pressure on him to play big minutes or carry too heavy of a load in his return. He is averaging 28.5 minutes per game this season, and while he won't play as much as some Mavs fans would like, he has plenty of support behind him.
Quentin Grimes has been excellent recently as he has scored over 20 points in three straight games, and while Thompson is expected to continue to be the full-time starter, Grimes provides excellent depth off the bench to pick up the slack when needed.
The Mavs' depth has quietly been a huge strength lately, and Thompson will look to begin his comeback on a high note with a win over the Grizzlies tonight. Dereck Lively II will also return to the lineup against Memphis after missing one game with a knee hyperextension, and the Mavs are slowly inching towards being at full strength.
