Grant Williams, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Jason Kidd aren’t worried about fatigue from heavy preseason travel.
Dallas Mavericks’ Grant Williams, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Jason Kidd candidly discussed their grueling preseason travel schedule, confidently saying that games in Abu Dhabi and Spain will not hurt the team’s chances of success this season.
Williams says this is their job as basketball players and they cannot complain.
Grant Williams: “What I’ll say is, it shouldn’t impact us. We have to compete throughout the course of an 82-game season. Can’t complain about starting early, we’re basketball players, it’s our job. We have to make sure we take care of our bodies, we’re mindful of that. We’ll go out there and do our job.”
Hardaway Jr. stressed the team’s maturity and implied this is a good test ahead of the midseason blues that affect teams that are tired.
Tim Hardaway Jr.: “Just piggybacking off Grant, the maturity has to be at an all-time high. We know in the middle of the season, there’ll be times you’re tired and your body is lagging a little bit, but you have to fight and persevere through all that. You go out there and compete. We’re here for a reason, we’re professionals. Like he said, take care of your body and be ready.”
Coach Kidd had a funny response about how he’s not tired because he isn’t playing anymore.
Jason Kidd: “I don’t run, so I don’t get tired. I think the players have done a great job. The time difference, the schedule, it wasn’t all work. These guys had the opportunity to hang out at the beach, they got to see Abu Dhabi, the mosque, and go to the desert, I think they’re pros. It was a great time for us to bond.”
To get insightful answers from all three men on this topic was wonderful. Fatigue has become a hot topic this season in the NBA, especially after the introduction of new rules to limit load management.
The Mavericks may need rest early in the season, as teams that start their season with a heavy preseason international schedule often start the season out struggling.
The Mavericks Are Already Load Managing
The Mavs made a lot of players unavailable for their second game against the Timberwolves. While Luka Doncic played both games, Kyrie Irving was absent from the second game with groin soreness. That was a shame, as many fans had come to see Irving play. The crowd was chanting for Kyrie to check in even though he was wearing street clothes on the bench.
Given Kidd told Fadeaway World that Irving sat out of the game as a precaution, showing that the Mavericks will be careful with their players to not lose them to injury. The entire country may never get the chance to see Irving play live again, so there is a level of disappointment that the Mavericks are already trying to protect their players from their grueling preseason schedule.
The Mavericks started their training camp in the last week of September and came to Abu Dhabi on October 3. Now, they’re going to spend five days in Madrid as Luka Doncic returns to the city where he became a basketball superstar. Hopefully, the Mavs don’t leave Spain winless as well.
