Controlling What They Can Control
If the Mavericks are focused on controlling what they can control, then their preference will be to reach the playoffs.
As previously stated, the draft offers no guarantees, even if they were to land a high pick. Furthermore, Dallas’s issue really isn’t that they lack talent. Despite how big the void Doncic left feels, the Mavs’ primary problem is that their two most successful players have played 20 games combined this season.
Bear in mind, Dallas is actually 10-10 with Davis this season. While a .500 record isn’t blowing anyone away, it would be the ninth-best win-loss percentage in the West, which is good enough for the Play-In Tournament. If Irving was starting rather than Brandon Williams or Ryan Nembhard, their offense would be much more potent. For reference, Williams and Nembhard are averaging 19.2 points per game combined this season. Irving has averaged 25.5 points per game in his Mavericks tenure.
Yet, neither Davis nor Irving will be returning to the court prior to the All-Star Break, which will take place from Feb. 13-15.
After suffering a left hand injury against the Utah Jazz, Davis “is expected to heal from the injury in six weeks,” the team announced. If Davis’s recovery goes according to plan, then he’ll likely be back in the first week of March. Irving has recently been active on the court during pre-game warm-ups. However, he’ll “realistically” be back on the court after the All-Star Break “as it stands,” Grant Afseth of DallasHoopsJournal.com reports.
