New-Look Mavs’ Preseason Trip: ‘Time for Team Bonding!’

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — On Sunday, the Dallas Mavericks departed from Texas to head to the United Arab Emirates for the beginning of a 12-day international trip that features stops in Abu Dhabi and Madrid, Spain. No NBA team will play as many games outside of the United States before the 2023-24 season as the Mavs.

"Coming to every season, you want to start hot immediately, just do everything the right way, but it's impossible to be perfect at the beginning of the season," Mavs superstar Kyrie Irving said. “We have a new group. We have some things to figure out still, so we have to give each other grace for that. 

"It's been fun to think about going to Abu Dhabi, going to Madrid, and having an opportunity to play in front of an international community that supports the game of basketball and grow over there as a team to build camaraderie," Irving explained.

While the downside of such an expansive international journey involves jetlag before the 2023-24 season, the upside involves a bonding experience for a largely new-look roster needing chemistry. Luka Doncic and Irving will receive more live reps to expand on their connection as a tandem while getting used to lineups that could feature entirely new players compared to last year's roster. 

“I think it’s a great experience, a great time for the team to bond,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said after Saturday's practice. “Fourteen hours on a plane. We’ve got some time to get to know one another.”

The first of the Mavs' matchups will occur against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 5 & 7 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Given the team plans to start rookies Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper for at least one of these games, it'll serve as a helpful measure for the Mavs with matchups like Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns for Lively, while Prosper could guard Anthony Edwards. 

From a personal standpoint, it'll be an experience for both Lively and Prosper to get a quick crash course on handling life in the NBA in a way most rookies are unable. They will take in new cultures, while Lively admitted that he hasn't done much international travel yet in his 19 years. 

"This is the first trip, man," Lively said. "It'll be 14 hours minimum. It seems like a lot, but you know what I will do? I'm going to Abu Dhabi, so I'll be quiet and sit down."

The veterans on the Mavs' roster, like Dwight Powell, view it as being a valuable experience for the team as a whole to have such a long journey, but see it as being especially value for the team to connect with young teammates. For them, going through a new life experience creates a different bond than the typical early connection teammates may establish.

“Especially for the young guys, to learn about a new culture is super-important for their growth as human beings,” Powell said. “But to do it with this group, we get to share kind of one of those milestones in life. That plays a big role on the court, whether you believe it or not. 

"It builds camaraderie, chemistry, trust, and understanding," Powell explained. "Learning together is huge. We will do a lot of that in camp in terms of Xs and Os, and meshing on the court. But learning together in life is very valuable, as well.”

Irving often pointed out the challenges of attempting to compete in high stakes, win-now games as a reshaped team following a midseason trade while competing against teams that had much greater continuity established. He called the growing pains the "ugly parts" that would get sorted out in training camp or early in the season. Now, after Irving re-signed in the summer, the team will get a better opportunity with a fully clean slate for the 2023-24 season.. 

"This is what I was talking about last year when we got to get out and get to know one another on different planes and in different environments," Irving said. "I feel like we get a chance to do that overseas. It is a quick training camp, but we can't make an excuse for that."

"We just got to put in our two-a-days and continue to get in better shape. That's what this preseason is about, with a short amount of days — a lot of work in those short days," Irving explained. "These next two weeks will have its ups and downs. I want to go into these games with a clear mentality that we want to win, and we want to continue to get better and dive deeper into the relationships that will matter for us later down in the season." 

To conclude the trip, the Mavs will face Real Madrid on Oct. 10, a matchup against Doncic's former team, before declaring for the NBA Draft in 2018. Beginning at 13, he put together an illustrious career that was highlighted by winning the 2018 EuroLeague championship amid a EuroLeague MVP campaign, averaging 16.0 points, 4.8 boards, and 4.3 assists over 33 games. He became the youngest player to win EuroLeague MVP at just 18, making him an elite prospect in his draft class.

While Doncic put together incredible basketball achievements, he grew on and off the court with Real Madrid. The experience of returning to Spain to play in his "second home" is something he's very much looking forward to doing. 

“I’ve been thinking about this game since they told me we would play there,” Doncic said. “That game is going to mean a lot to me. I was raised there. I was trying to learn how to speak English, Spanish — well, everything there. I learned how to play basketball. That’s my second home, so I’m very excited to be back.”

The Mavs are expected to resume practicing in Texas on Oct. 14, with 11 days until the team's regular season home opener against the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. Upon returning to America, the Mavs will resume preparation for their preseason finale against the Detroit Pistons on Oct. 20 at the American Airlines Center.