2023-24 NBA Season Preview: Dallas Mavericks
The start of the 2023-24 NBA season is officially here! Since training camp, we have been previewing seasons from all 30 NBA teams. Today, we take a look at the Dallas Mavericks, who look to bounce back after a horrendous 2022-23 campaign.
What happened last year?
You could argue that the Dallas Mavericks were one of the NBA’s most disappointing teams in the league last year.
The Mavericks were expected to be a top-5 seed in the East. They began 28-26 before a blockbuster trade to acquire disgruntled star Kyrie Irving from the Brooklyn Nets. On paper, the Irving-Doncic backcourt looked to be one of the most electric 1-2 combos leaguewide, but its defense completely cratered after trading away Dorian Finney Smith, its best wing defender, in the deal.
Dallas ultimately sputtered, losing 18 of their final 25 and finished 38-44 as the No. 11 seed in the Western Conference–the team’s worst record in the Luka Doncic era.
Offseason recap:
Dallas’ biggest order of action was re-signing Irving, securing him on a three-year, $126 million deal–just short of a three-year max. They also acquired 3-and-D wing Grant Williams from the Boston Celtics in a sign-and-trade, as well as signing Dante Exum and reuniting with sharpshooting guard Seth Curry.
On draft night, Dallas essentially swapped Davis Bertans for Richaun Holmes while drafting 7-foot center Dereck Lively II and defensive-minded cog Olivier-Maxence Prosper with picks No. 12 and 24, respectively.
Projected starting five?
Kyrie Irving, G — Irving remained stellar offensively after getting flipped to Dallas–even though the team was not. He averaged 27.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists on 63.4 percent true shooting. On the court, Irving is one of the tantalizing ballhandlers and finishers in the sport. He makes an art form look as easy as writing your name; the ball is literally on a string when he possesses it. Off the court? Well…..you be the judge.
Luka Doncic, G — Doncic is an all-worldly talent who should be able to find the right balance with Irving. You know what you’re going to get from Doncic with the ball in his hands; off the ball, well, it’s a bit of a different story. Dallas has given him (at least some?) help to take pressure off his on-ball responsibility, but we’ll wait and see if it translates to team success in 2023-24 to get Dallas over the hump.
Tim Hardaway Jr., G/F — After arguably having the worst shooting stint of his career in 2021-22, where he was limited to only 42 games before fracturing his foot, Hardaway had a strong bounce-back shooting campaign last season. He averaged 14.4 points on 40.1/38.5/77.0 shooting splits, but can the 31-year-old Hardaway be impactful enough on the defensive end to complement Irving and Doncic? That remains to be seen.
Grant Williams, F — Williams was Dallas’ primed offseason acquisition. He should get more opportunities in Dallas than he did in Boston. He’s instinctual, sturdy and competitive on the defensive end at 6-foot-6, which is exactly what Dallas needs patrolling their back line. He’s also turned into one of the best spot-up shooters in the NBA, having converted on 40.2 percent of his long-range catch-and-shoot attempts over the last two seasons.
Dwight Powell, C — Perhaps the biggest question mark is who starts at 5 for Dallas between Powell, Holmes or Lively. For now, I’m guessing Powell does, since he’s been their primary 5 for the last two seasons. Powell is a good vertical threat and an adept rebounder, averaging 6.7 points and 4.1 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per game last season.
Notable reserves:
Richaun Holmes, C — Holmes was the odd-man out in the Kings rotation last season and will look to provide good backup 5 minutes behind Powell. Holmes is a better defender than Powell and has excellent touch within 10 feet, especially with his push floater. From 2019-22, he averaged 12.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks on 67.7 percent true shooting.
Seth Curry, G — This marks Seth Curry’s third stint with the Mavericks — his two other seasons were in 2016-17 and 2019-20. Last season in Brooklyn, Curry averaged 9.2 points on 40.5 percent shooting from 3-point range.
Josh Green, G/F — Green is expected to complement Doncic and Irving as one of their best defenders behind Williams. He averaged 9.1 points on 40.3 percent shooting from distance and will almost certainly have a more integral role off the bench this season.
Who’s the X-Factor? Josh Green
Green has shown a ton of improvement offensively as a knockdown shooter, but his wing defense could be an incredibly useful tool. He showed he could defend at least two positions last season and was incredibly instinctual plus sturdy doing so. When he’s on the floor, he’s likely to guard the best perimeter player to take the pressure off Grant Williams, Doncic and Irving. He could be a player to earn plenty of opportunity because of his defense alone.
Projected result:
For the second straight year, I have the Mavericks missing the play-in game as the No. 11 seed. Sound the horns! The West is deeper than the ocean, but it’s not crazy if you have them earning a play-in spot — or even a top-6 seed. Plenty of variance to go around, here.
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