After a few years of mediocrity, the Dallas Mavericks are primed to contend for the NBA playoffs once again next season. Kristaps Porzingis was brought in to form a star duo with Luka Doncic, while more quietly shrewd moves were made throughout the same.
Projecting the Dallas Mavericks Rotation
Backcourt
Delon Wright is a welcomed addition in Dallas. His name does not draw the spotlight, but he should be very effective in his given role. Wright is a defensive specialist with great length. He’s also a solid distributor. Doncic will be given most of the ball-handling duties when the starters run the floor. Wright can focus on defense and slashing to the basket. The starting point guard position will be given to Wright.
Tim Hardaway will likely feature as the starting shooting guard. Typically mentioned as the “throw in” of the Porzingis trade, many overlook Hardaway’s scoring ability. He averaged 18 points per game last season. Although his shooting wasn’t spectacular, he can get hot quickly. His scoring average will certainly dip, but he’ll fit a niche next season.
Jalen Brunson and Seth Curry will feature often off the bench. Brunson quietly put together a fantastic rookie season as a second-round draft pick last season. He averaged nine points and three assists per game. He quickly earned head coach Rick Carlisle’s trust and emerged as a fan-favorite. The sophomore can become a major threat off of the bench with a more developed long-range shot.
Speaking of three-point shooting, Curry will once again be expected to rank amongst the top in the league in that category. Curry rivals his brother Stephen Curry and Joe Harris, among others, as the top shooter in the league. Curry’s best statistical season came with the Mavericks a couple of years ago, so expect him to be back at his best.
Frontcourt
Doncic takes the duties at small forward. He’s only going to get better after a historic rookie season. He’ll be the Mavericks number one option again, and put up All-Star numbers. The Slovenian will cement his place in the NBA’s elite next season.
The power forward position, of course, will feature Porzingis. Although he didn’t register a single minute all of last season, all reports indicate that Porzingis is healthy and ready to go. Many have seemingly forgotten about how good he was, he was an All-Star and kept the New York Knicks relevant. His partnership with Doncic will be something to watch all season.
The Mavericks’ center position gets interesting. Carlisle likes familiarity, however, so Dwight Powell is the favorite to start. Powell is one of the better bigs in the league when it comes to the pick-and-roll. He’s also a strong defensive presence with an improving three-point shot. Fan-favorite Boban Marjanovic is a great option to back Powell up. He had an impressive FIBA World Cup showing.
The rest of the frontcourt rotation includes Maxi Kleber, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Justin Jackson. Kleber remains one of the NBA’s best-kept secrets. He is a defensive powerhouse with a long-range shot. Finney-Smith will feature regularly due to his tenacious defending and improving shooting. Jackson, like Curry in the backcourt, will be the frontcourt’s “sniper.” He had great shooting performances in limited minutes after his trade to Dallas last season.
Look for a much improved Mavericks squad with real potential to finish well above .500.
Main Photo
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