Luka Doncic Plans to Return from Ankle Injury for Kings vs. Mavs: 'I'm Ready'

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic intends to return to action for Wednesday's home game vs. the Sacramento Kings.

"I'm ready," he told reporters Tuesday, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. "I'm just excited to be back out there and play basketball."

The reigning Rookie of the Year and current MVP candidate has twice suffered ankle ailments this season, first missing four games in December before sitting out another seven contests in early February. The Slovenian was named an All-Star for the first time in his career in 2020, earning a starting spot.

For the year, he's averaged 28.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 1.0 steal per game, shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from three.

Meanwhile, his emergence has put the Mavs squarely in the race for the Western Conference title—a task that becomes immensely more difficult in his absence. 

The larger issue is what the Mavericks will do if Doncic continues to battle injuries. Dallas hardly has the depth to match up against other contenders without him, especially since the team is already down center Dwight Powell for the year because of an Achilles injury.

The Mavs traded for Willie Cauley-Stein in late January to make up for the loss of Powell. However, there may not be a single player who can affect their game plan as much as Doncic can.