Hidden danger removed? The Mavericks change their medical team and will compete for the championship in the new season

Sports Weekly All-Media Reporter Li Hui

Since reaching the finals in 2024, injuries have become the biggest problem for the Mavericks. Last season, the Mavericks, who were aiming to make a comeback, suffered serious injuries, including the first long-term injury to team leader Luka Doncic. This not only caused the Mavericks to lose hope of returning to the Finals, but also indirectly caused them to send Doncic away.

After sending away Doncic, the Mavericks' injury problem was still unresolved. The newly joined Anthony Davis soon suffered injuries. In the end, the Mavericks were eliminated by the Grizzlies in the play-offs and missed the playoffs.

Such a large-scale injury made the Mavericks decide to make changes. According to Mavericks and team reporter Mike Curtis, the Mavericks made a large-scale substitution of the team's medical team during the offseason this summer.

Curtis said that the Mavericks were one of the teams with the most injuries in the NBA last season. There have been many questions about how the medical team handles injuries. There is also disagreement within the team on when injured players will return, and the roles of some teammates lack proper certification. This summer, the Mavericks ended their 21-year relationship with team physician Dionne Calhoun and promoted Jana Austin from assistant athletic trainer to the team's chief athletic trainer. In addition, they also hired Geoff Puls from the Bulls as director of player strength and conditioning.

Curtis went on to say that Johann Bilsborough, director of player rehabilitation who joined the team last season, will continue to stay on the team and will lead the entire medical team into the second season. The Mavericks hope that the new team can use their expertise to ensure that the players stay as healthy as possible in the new season and avoid controversy.

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd recently talked about the team's replacement of team doctors, "The new people are doing their responsibilities, which includes medical and physical training arrangements. Everyone is doing a good and outstanding job. For those who have been promoted and newly hired, I think they are also doing a good job. Player injuries are part of the game. This will always happen, but the key is to let them recover from hyperthyroidism, and Return to the game as soon as possible. Now, I think our team is working hard in this direction. "

During the offseason, the Mavericks have undoubtedly achieved a certain improvement in their lineup. They got the No. 1 pick Lang Flagg and signed Russell and other players. From the perspective of paper strength, the Mavericks are very competitive. They have 1-2 players with enough strength in each position, and their lineup is deep enough. But the biggest hidden danger for this Mavericks team is still their injuries. Irving will not be able to return in the short term. The team's backup center Gafford suffered an injury before and will miss the opening game. Anthony Davis, the team's current number one player, is a star with a low attendance rate. Therefore, if the team cannot continue to stay healthy, the Mavericks will not be truly competitive. On the contrary, if the new medical team can prevent the Mavericks from a large number of injuries this season and keep them healthy before the end of the season, then such a Mavericks team with the three No. 1 picks in Davis, Irving, and Flagg, and a number of high-quality role players such as Thompson, Russell, Lively, Gafford, and Washington will undoubtedly be a championship force that cannot be ignored this season.