An unprecedented year in the NBA has left us with more money in our pockets than we started with
The 2024-25 NBA regular season has come and gone, and here at Mavs Moneyball we are still in disbelief about how it all went downhill for the Dallas Mavericks this season. Going from the NBA Finals to the play-in tournament is one thing, but there was just no way to predict everything that went catastrophically wrong during this year.
However, before we can officially turn the page, it’s time to look back and do the accounting for our regular season futures.
Season record: 7-5 (58.3%)
Overall, a solid year on the futures front for me. The Mavericks futures that I took turned into colossal failures (more on that later), but everything else I think I did a really good job on. However, we have to debrief on a few of the things that stuck with us from this season that we can take into next season and beyond. Below, I’ll hit on my best calls, worst calls and anything I regret not taking.
Best calls
Detroit Pistons over 25.5 wins, Milwaukee Bucks under 50.5 wins
Let’s start with the Pistons, who managed to outperform their win total by a whopping 18.5 games in finishing 44-38. I’ll be honest, I was not expecting them to be that good, however I will take my victory lap regardless. Cade Cunningham made the leap that we were expecting him to make, and the added spacing that Malik Beasley, old friend Tim Hardaway Jr. and Tobias Harris provided helped J.B. Bickerstaff balance out the offense with the physical style they played.
As far as the Bucks (48-34), I was very skeptical of the supporting cast around Giannis and Damian Lillard. Turns out, I was right about that and also with the health of the two stars. Both Dame and Giannis missed their fair share of games throughout this season, which led to this under cashing with weeks to go in the regular season.
Worst calls
Mavericks over 49.5 wins, Luka Doncic to win MVP and Luka Doncic to average over 10 assists per game
First off, I’d like to apologize for the following: NOTHING. I and we at Mavs Moneyball have zero regret for being optimistic about this team preseason. Obviously, the Luka injury was what set this whole thing in motion to get where we are at today. But even with that, trading the guy was never a thought that ran through my head. To Nico Harrison’s credit, he assembled a fantastic team this past summer. When healthy before Christmas, they went out and won 14 of 17 games. With the additions they made, this team was a legitimate threat! And now we’re here. What a shame.
Bet regret
Utah Jazz under 27.5 wins
I had this one written down when it was 29.5 wins, but the late steam on the under just spooked me off of it. However, the Jazz won 17 games this year and didn’t even come close to scaring this number. Next year, I’ll learn from this by not being scared of a low number when it seems clear a team is going to be racing to the bottom of the NBA Draft lottery for the likes of Cam Boozer and AJ Dybantsa.