Luka Doncic on the NBA Restart: “I never hesitated. I was going to play.”

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic on the NBA restart: “There was no question about me. I was going to play. I miss basketball a lot.”

Dallas Mavericks star and reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic said he never considered opting out of the NBA restart scheduled for later this month in Orlando.

“I never hesitated. I always wanted to play,” Donic told media during a Zoom call Thursday afternoon. “I  miss basketball a lot. I just want to play.

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“There was no question about me.  I was going to play.”

Doncic and the Mavs are preparing to depart for Orlando and the NBA “bubble” next week when the league restarts its season after it was suspended on March 11th due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Mavs will face the Houston Rockets in the first of their eight-game NBA restart schedule on July 31st at 8 p.m. on ESPN. Dallas went into the NBA hiatus with a record of 40-27 (.597) and currently sits in seventh place in the Western Conference entering the restart.

Doncic, who was averaging 28.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 8.7 assists per game when the suspension hit, also touched on several topics during his media availability including life in quarantine, his relationship with Kristaps Porzingis and what the Mavs need to do to make some noise in Orlando.

On his physical health:

“I am in good shape. I’ll just get better until the Orlando games but I’m in good shape.”

On Luka Doncic’s chemistry with Kristaps Porzingis:

“We had really good chemistry, just didn’t play many games together (due to injuries) but it’s going to keep growing every day. We’re just practicing and working with each other.”

On the challenges of quarantine life:

“Not being able to play basketball. Obviously not being able to go out as well, everything was closed; but the big thing was not being able to play basketball.”

On what the Mavericks need to do to move up in the standings:

“Win as many games as possible. We are going there without pressure, having fun, playing basketball and hopefully we can reach our goal.”

On dealing with family absence during coronavirus outbreak:

“There were a lot less cases of corona there. But I was really glad to go home to see my friends and see my family and now I’m back. It’s going to happen the same thing now in Orlando. We are going there and I’m not going to see my family and friends for a long time so it’s going to be mostly the same thing.

On the Last Dance:

“The Last Dance was something amazing. Something all basketball players should see. It was a must-see show. I really, really enjoyed it.”

On if the break helped any team more:

“I don’t know. I think the break helped – a lot of people had small injuries. They weren’t 100 percent so  I  think for those players,  the break really helped. Honestly, I don’t know. We’ll see what happens in Orlando if it (the break) helped or not.”

On any adjustments he plans on making in his pre-game warm-up routine:

“Same things as always; same plan, same routine as I’ve always done. It’s going to be a little weird without the fans but I’ll just do the same things as always.”

On the absence of fans:

“Honestly, I don’t know.  I’ve never experienced this. It’s going to be weird. I enjoy very much the fans, There’s always noise. It’s going to be weird so I don’t know how I’m going to feel.”

On what he did during quarantine:

“I was playing a lot of sports. I played tennis and soccer.”

On getting back around his teammates:

“It was great. We would like to play against each other, maybe some pickup games, 3-on-3, but obviously we can’t. But it’s been great to be back; just practicing and to be home in Dallas. It’s great.