There’s a whole lot to look forward to this season in Dallas
We’re almost there folks, the time for Dallas Mavericks basketball is near. With that in mind, we’re opening the gates of more work from folks here at Mavs Moneyball. I asked out staff a simple question with broad possibities: what are you most excited for in the coming Dallas Mavericks season?
Isaac: I’m excited to see a full season of Dereck Lively starting with this core. his defense was exceptional last year and a full offseason working with Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving should help his offensive game significantly. With Lively down low, Irving and Dončić sharing the rock, and Klay Thompson on the wing, it’s going to be a really fun season in Dallas.
Ben: The young guys! Dereck Lively was incredible last year, and I’m excited to see what’s in store for him after his first full year in the league. He’ll know the ebbs and flows of the NBA season, and be conditioned to play 82-plus games. Barring any health issues, Lively will likely take a leap this season.
Then there’s Olivier-Maxence Prosper. Is he ready for a role on the team? Or does he need more development? With his size and athleticism, Prosper would be a huge help to the Mavs. I’m hoping he’s ready to contribute.
Gracie: I am excited to see how two of the Mavericks new additions, Naji Marshall and Quentin Grimes fit in with this team. Marshall has a lot to offer the Mavericks as a shooter and a gritty defender and has pretty intriguing skills as a passer. No wonder they call him “the knife”. Grimes has huge upside as a player. Heading into a contract year, he will be looking to make a name for himself to earn his first non-rookie deal. Once upon a time, Knicks fans were deeming him “untouchable”. I am looking forward to seeing how he is integrated into the Mavericks offense and to see how well he can hold up as a defender on the perimeter. I think these two guys can make significant impacts on the Mavericks this year!
Sudarshan: A season where the Mavericks are surefire Contenders. It’s been way too long – probably since the 2011 title – that the Mavericks have been a team that could’ve been categorized as a probable Contender. In some part, I’ve gotten used to the Mavericks having a season with a winning record and some form of Playoff Basketball.
Now things are different. There’s a clear direction in which the team is built and it’s not enough to just get to the playoff and win a series or two. Now, a successful season means winning a title. The Mavericks are not some team which might surprise everyone with a long run. Now, they’re in it to win it all, making the regular season more exciting.
Tyler: I’m most excited to see Klay Thompson in a Mavericks uniform. While it’s abundantly clear that Klay isn’t the same guy he was 5 years ago, a fresh start in Dallas should free him up. For as long as he was in Golden State, Klay would be held to the expectations of who Klay Thompson was, not who Klay Thompson is. That expectation level wasn’t going to be fair to him or to the Warriors. With the move to Dallas, he’ll get to escape from that fishbowl and reset himself for the stretch run of his career.
Klay will bring his championship experience and shooting to a lineup that lacked both in last year’s NBA Finals. He’s still a 40% shooter from 3, and the open looks he’ll get from Luka & Kyrie won’t hurt that percentage at all. Whenever Klay gets on a heater for the first time in Dallas, the American Airlines Center might erupt. It will be very cool to see Klay Thompson as a Maverick.
Josh: I’m excited that for the first time in the Doncic-era, the Mavericks have legitimate pre-season championship expectations, and not just because of Doncic’s stature across the league, but because of the massive roster talent improvement in the last 18-24 months. Every pre-season in the Doncic-era has felt like a “yeah with Doncic anything can happen, BUT” in regards to the Mavericks title hopes, but coming off an impressive playoff run, making the Finals, and then adding more talent to that core, without losing too much (Derrick Jones Jr., you will be missed!), the Mavericks finally feel complete.
Dallas has started almost every season since drafting Doncic limping into January and February due to Doncic needing to drag an overmatched roster. It doesn’t feel that way this time, and I’m excited to see how the Mavericks look before the All-Star break with a team that it feels it can compete with from opening night. This is the most talented Mavericks roster since the 2011 title team. If everything goes smoothly, this should be a fun season.
Jordan: This is the first time in a long while that the Mavericks return a solid core while also adding new pieces to the puzzle that look to make them even better. Not bad when you’re coming off an NBA Finals appearance. That mix of existing foundation with new tools has to make this the most exciting October in well over a decade. And what’s more, it’s not just about relying on Klay Thompson (!) to regain his championship-level form to elevate this team. I’m excited about Naji Marshall and Quentin Grimes and how they can impact the game and playoff Luka Doncic. What’s been made abundantly clear in the last two years is that GM Nico Harrison does not stay still or run things back, and his ability to build the old with the new makes the Mavericks one of the more intriguing teams in the league.
Matt: I’m excited to watch a plan come together. If a run to the NBA Finals isn’t enough of an indicator that a team is in “win now” mode, going and signing a guy like Klay Thompson should erase the remainder of that doubt. This team feels like the culmination of how Nico Harrison and the front office wants to build around Doncic. Every piece is in place and all that’s left is to go out and try to win the thing. Not having the feeling of maybe needing to try and find one more guy who can do this or that – this is a team built to win, and there’s every reason to believe they can if everything goes as planned.
Matthew: I’m excited to see Luka Doncic play in an environment that should allow the joy in his game to shine. Doncic is an exceptional player and always has been, but too often, the limitations of his teammates and organization have sapped the joy inherent to his game. The Mavericks’ biggest failure for years was making a Doncic-led team a struggle to watch. This roster isn’t perfect, but everyone has the ability to contribute in some way. It should bring out the best in Doncic as he brings out the best in it.
Michael: I’m excited to see the dynamic of our new additions and existing improvements. For a while, Doncic was the primary pillar of the team. Then Irving joined and we had a two-headed monster. Then Washington and Gafford arrived, and with Lively and others, we were more athletic, younger and better defensively.
Now we have a legit third offensive threat in Thompson, the return of a legit third ballhandler in Dinwiddie and defensive aces in Grimes and Marshall. We will hopefully witness a muti-faceted team that will be extremely difficult to game plan against on both sides of the ball. Much talk has been about how Thompson will get some of the easiest looks of his career, but I think he in turn will open up space for Washington, Marshall, Dinwiddie and others like never before. Factor in some expected improvements to our existing core (Lively and Washington have me especially excited) and a Training Camp together, and the Mavericks could put a very special team on the floor each night. I can’t wait to see how it all comes together and how far they can take it this year!
Kirk: There’s too many choices! There’s so much to be thrilled about. I’ll have to go with something less obvious and say the continued development of Dereck Lively. He progressed so far last season in limited time and became so important to what the Mavericks aimed to achieve. How much more can he learn and apply? I really want to see him operate with the ball more; not scoring, but passing and hand offs. There’s a lot he can do that we haven’t seen much of yet.