The Most Realistic Starting Lineup And Roster For The Dallas Mavericks Next Season
Check the most realistic roster for the Dallas Mavericks next season.
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The Dallas Mavericks exceeded everyone's expectations last season when they punched a ticket to the Western Conference Finals led by young superstar Luka Doncic. But he didn't do it alone. The Mavericks had a team that was structured perfectly for Doncic to be successful, but it still wasn't enough to defeat the Golden State Warriors, and some may think that they still don't have enough after the new offseason additions.
The Western Conference is filled with competitive teams. The Mavericks defeated the number one seeded Phoenix Suns and beat them in a Game 7 on the Suns’ home floor. One of the biggest upsets of the playoffs last year. The crazy thing is the Mavericks didn't have a single All-star on their team outside of Doncic.
Jalen Brunson’s Departure
Jalen Brunson played a vital role for the Mavericks last season. Especially during the postseason in the first round against the Utah Jazz. Brunson had to lead the Mavs to multiple wins without Doncic, and he did just that. However, this summer, he decided to depart and sign a long-term deal with the New York Knicks, which could result in a tremendous loss for the Mavericks. It is hard to find that same production, but the Mavericks will need to fill that void if they want to compete to win a title in the West.
Brunson had the best season of his career last year, where he averaged 31.9 minutes a game, 16.3 PPG on a 50.3% Field Goal percentage, 4.8 AST, and 3.9 REB per game. He appeared in 79 out of 82 games for the Mavs, which proves how durable of a player he is. Not to mention, he is very effective on the defensive end, and it will be hard to replace a two-way player of that nature.
The Most Realistic Roster For The Dallas Mavericks
Starting Lineup: Luka Doncic, Spencer Dinwiddie, Hardaway Jr, Dorian Finney-Smith, JaVale McGee
The Best Bench Players: Reggie Bullock, Christian Wood, Dwight Powell, Max Kleber, Jaden Hardy
Luka Doncic will be the leader for the Mavericks, and he will try to lead them to the NBA Finals, even though West is even stronger this year. Everything starts and finishes with Doncic, he is the alpha and omega for the Mavericks, and every player around him must follow his passion in order to bring success this season.
Spencer Dinwiddie averaged 15.8 PPG last season, and it's time for him to step into the bigger role as a starter. He is a solid 3-PT and mid-range shooter, he can go through the defense, and he could repeat the season when he averaged 20.6 PPG with the Nets.
Tim Hardaway didn't play well last season, but he has to prove he can be a starting guard in the NBA. He must improve 3-PT shot, he has to use more pump fakes and contribute not only with the offense, but he has to focus on the defense as well.
Dorian Finney-Smith is here to bring elite defense, energy, and hustle to the Mavericks. He is a role player, and he is there to contribute on the court more than stats show. His role is to defend the best shooter of the opponent team, to get rebounds, and to help Luka to focus more on offense than on defense.
Finally, we have doubts about the center position, but after JaVale McGee's last season, he would be the better starting center than Dwight Powell. McGee has the experience, he is underrated, he is a solid pick and roll player, and he is a better rebounder and defender than Powell.
The Dallas Mavericks have a solid starting lineup, and here is the point more about the team than about Luka Doncic's individual quality. Yes, Luka will score 30 points per night, but if he doesn't include his teammates, the Mavericks can't succeed. First time after a while, the Dallas Mavericks could be a top-3 team in the league, but everything depends on Jason Kidd's system and Luka Doncic.
Key Offseason Additions
The Mavericks did make some additions to their roster throughout the NBA Draft and Free Agency. Adding Christian Wood through a trade was an excellent addition. One of the more underrated players in the league today. Last season Wood averaged 17.9 PPG, 10.1 REB, 2.3 AST, and had a 50.1% field goal percentage. Christian Wood should fit in very well with Luka Doncic with his ability to play true to his size and stretch the floor with his length and athletic capabilities.
The Mavericks also selected rookie Jaden Hardy in the second round with the 37th overall pick. Hardy was a consensus 5-star recruit coming out of High School, and instead of going to college, he decided to play for the G-League Ignite. The Mavericks could envision Hardy being a guy that slowly, over time, progresses into a similar role Jalen Brunson had. Playing in the G-League, he will have more of a feel for how the NBA is and could make his transition with the Mavericks much easier. He is a 6-foot-4 guard who will most likely come off the bench to start his career in Dallas.
Lastly, the Mavericks added JaVale McGee, who contributes to every single team he has been on. This may not be a flashy move, but it will drastically improve the interior defense for the Mavericks, and McGee can be a serious addition to both sides of the ball for this team.
A big piece that the Mavericks will have back this year that they didn't last season will be Tim Hardaway Jr. Hardaway battled an injury all of last year, which affected him to miss a substantial amount of time. Including all of the postseason. Hardaway Jr is a streaky scorer and shooter, and adding that back into the mix will give the Mavs another piece to the puzzle on the offensive end that can contribute at high volume.
Why Luka Can Take Another Step
At the end of the day, Luka Doncic will be the most important player to the Dallas Mavericks' success. They have invested their future into him, and he has lived up to every expectation so far.
The key thing to remember is that he is only 23 years old. He hasn't even hit his prime yet. He's still in the early stages of his career, averaging 28.4 PPG, 9.1 REB, and 8.7 AST per game. Doncic has every skill set in the league besides the lack of effort on the defensive end, which has been exploited at times. But he has the size to be a capable defender. It will all come down to effort and how much he buys in to that side of the ball.
Offensively he's as good of an all-around player that is currently in the league, and the next step in his game besides helping the Mavericks win a championship is winning the MVP, which could very well be in the foreseeable future.
The Mavericks have a deep roster and are a well-coached team by Jason Kidd, who will be heading into his second season with the squad. If they can fill the void of losing Brunson and translate that reproduction elsewhere, then they could very well pick up where they left off as one of the best teams in the conference. But, like mentioned, the West is very deep, and teams are emerging as competitors. The Mavericks will have their hands full, and seeing if they have enough to be a championship team should be intriguing.
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