{"id":16929,"date":"2018-09-13T13:04:31","date_gmt":"2018-09-13T17:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnba.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=16929"},"modified":"2018-09-24T22:08:22","modified_gmt":"2018-09-25T02:08:22","slug":"countdown-nba-tip-dallas-mavericks-preview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2018\/09\/13\/countdown-nba-tip-dallas-mavericks-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"Countdown to NBA Tip-Off: Dallas Mavericks Season Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the NBA off-season comes to a close, the Dallas Mavericks<\/a> enter into training camp with a renewed purpose for success. Following back to back seasons of purposeful losing (tanking), the Mavericks expect to compete for a playoff spot in the vaunted\u00a0Western Conference. This is a look at the 2018-19 Dallas Mavericks season preview.<\/p>\n

Countdown to Tip-Off: Dallas Mavericks Season Preview<\/strong><\/h1>\n

At the NBA All-Star break, last season, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was a guest on Julius Erving<\/a><\/strong>‘s podcast, House Call. With Dr. J. never one to mince words, Cuban said the following:\u00a0<\/a>“I\u2019m probably not supposed to say this, but I just had dinner with a bunch of our guys the other night. And here we are, we weren\u2019t competing for the playoffs. I was like, \u201cLook, losing is our best option.\u201d Adam would hate hearing that, but at least I sat down, and I explained it to them. And I explained what our plans were going to be this summer, that we\u2019re not going to tank again. This was a year-and-a-half tanking, and that was too brutal for me.”<\/p>\n

What Worked Last Season<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The emergence of rookie guard Dennis Smith Jr.<\/a><\/strong>,while not shocking to most, was quite the revelation. Smith averaged 15.2 points and 5.2 assists per game with an Effective Field Goal percentage (eFG) of 44.6 percent. While the numbers ultimately weren’t phenomenal, his athleticism most certainly was, and the combination of both earned Smith All-Rookie honors.\u00a0Dirk Nowitzki<\/a><\/strong>, the stalwart and 19-year veteran, started 77 games (tied for third amongst Maverick players). Nowitzki averaged 12 points and 5.7 rebounds per game with an eFG of 54.7 percent while playing 25 minutes per contest.<\/p>\n

The Mavericks’ leading scorer was Harrison Barnes<\/a><\/strong>. Barnes, in his second year since his move from the Golden State Warriors<\/a>, was consistent but not spectacular. Much is expected of Barnes considering he signed a max-deal with the Mavericks. So while he scored a team-best\u00a018.9 points per game, Barnes has his critics.<\/p>\n

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Here we go folks. Noel back screens, down screens, ball screens and then dunks it. I am here for Rick Carlisle ATO's. pic.twitter.com\/BDb7bgKmin<\/a><\/p>\n

— Nick Sciria (@Nick_Sciria) February 28, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n