A second consecutive first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers was a bitter end to the 2020-21 season for the Dallas Mavericks. The seven-game loss, combined with turmoil in the front office, led to a major offseason shake up.
Now, with a new general manager, a new head coach and coaching staff and a few new players in Dallas, the new-look Mavericks have their sights set on a deep playoff run. Their fortunes rest on fine-tuning their revamped offense and riding the talents of Luka Doncic all season.
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What’s New
Soon after their loss to the Clippers, long-time GM Donnie Nelson was out the door. Head coach Rick Carlisle followed just days after. The Mavericks wasted little time finding replacements for the former pillars of the organization. At a July press conference, the team introduced former Nike executive Nico Harrison as the new GM and Jason Kidd as the head coach.
Kidd surrounded himself with an almost entirely new coaching staff including Igor Kokoskov, who coached Doncic during Slovenia’s 2017 EuroBasket title; Sean Sweeney; WNBA star Kristi Toliver; Greg St. Jean and Jared Dudley.
The front office and coaching staff saw the most dramatic overhaul while the roster remained relatively unchanged. Dallas did bring in several defensive-minded players with impressive shooting numbers to bolster their presence along the perimeter.
Veterans Reggie Bullock and Sterling Brown will help bolster the Mavericks’ versatility on both ends. Offensively, they pose a deep threat, shooting 41% and 42.3%, respectively, on three-pointers last season. Dallas also added young center Moses Brown in a trade with the Boston Celtics for Josh Richardson.
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What’s Coming
Dallas left a lot of fans wanting more after it made just a few, minor additions rather than adding star-level talent in the offseason. Still, the moves that were made could pay dividends. They don’t move the needle much for GMs around the league though. In their annual survey, GMs picked the Mavericks to finish seventh in the Western Conference.
Given that the West isn’t getting any easier, that prediction seems safe. A healthy Kristaps Porzingis, and the production he brings, could move the Mavericks up the standings, but the roster is what it is. At the end of the day, Doncic is the driving force of everything the team does.
Team MVP: Luka Doncic isn’t just Dallas’ best player, he’s one of the best players in the NBA. The Mavericks will only go as far as he can carry them. He’s the alpha and omega.
Best Value: Sterling Brown isn’t a star. He’s a role player, but he’s a potentially valuable one. With shooting splits of .448/.423/.806 last season, his two-year, $6 million contract looks like a steal.
X-Factor: Since the Mavericks traded for Kristaps Porzingis in 2019, the 7-foot-2 Latvian has been a point of contention among fans. Now, finally healthy, Porzingis has an opportunity to silence the doubters and potentially work his way back into All-Star form.
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Best Bet
Doncic will be the MVP. That’s the consensus of sportsbooks, at least. According to Bovada, the Slovenian superstar has +375 odds to take home the NBA’s most valuable player trophy. This is the second season that Doncic has entered the season as the odds-on favorite to win.
Last season, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic took home the regular season hardware. Doncic finished sixth in the voting. Even still, his rapid upward trajectory and stellar play will make him a favorite nearly every year. This year could be the first of many NBA MVPs he takes home.
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Best-Case Scenario
If Luka Doncic puts together an MVP season and the roster avoids any serious injuries, the sky's the limit for the Mavericks. The question then won’t be can they win a playoff series but whether they are championship contenders.
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Worst-Case Scenario
Despite Doncic’s on-court brilliance, Jason Kidd and the new coaching staff can’t solve the puzzles of the modern NBA. Because of this, Dallas’ offense and defense sputter all season with the Mavericks limping into the playoffs, staring down another first-round exit.
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