The transition from the Dirk Nowitzki era has gone smoothly as we now look at Luka Doncic as the face of the Dallas Mavericks. Dallas also made a trade for Kristaps Porzingis, which was a risky move given the ACL injury he suffered the year prior. The move looks to have paid off as the Mavericks are one of the most improved teams. Outside of Doncic and Porzingis, they have a lot of underrated and scrappy players that make them a dangerous team to face. Names like Delon Wright and Tim Hardaway are some of the guard depth that they have.
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PG |
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77 |
94
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#2 PG | 2 | 6' 7" | 230 | 21 | 2/28/99 | 3rd season | |
PG |
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13 |
77
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#46 PG | 5 | 6' 1" | 190 | 24 | 8/31/96 | 3rd season | Villanova |
PG |
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3 |
73
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#86 PG | 5 | 6' 0" | 185 | 28 | 11/12/92 | 8th season | Michigan |
PG |
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1 |
74
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#71 PG | 6' 3" | 160 | 20 | 9/28/00 | Rookie | Stanford | |
SG |
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8 |
74
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#40 SG | 7 | 6' 5" | 200 | 20 | 11/16/00 | Rookie | Arizona |
SG |
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14 |
70
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#69 SG | 6' 5" | 210 | 21 | 6/8/99 | Rookie | Houston | |
SF |
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10 |
79
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#26 SF | 2 | 6' 7" | 220 | 27 | 5/4/93 | 5th season | Florida |
SF |
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0 |
78
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#28 SF | 2 | 6' 5" | 200 | 27 | 9/15/93 | 6th season | Tennessee |
SF |
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11 |
77
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#38 SF | 2 | 6' 5" | 205 | 28 | 3/16/92 | 8th season | Michigan |
SF |
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25 |
69
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#76 SF | 5 | 6' 6" | 195 | 26 | 12/20/94 | 4th season | Kansas State |
PF |
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6 |
90
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#3 PF | 2 | 7' 3" | 240 | 25 | 8/2/95 | 5th season | |
PF |
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7 |
75
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#46 PF | 5 | 6' 10" | 240 | 29 | 7/20/91 | 7th season | Stanford |
PF |
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42 |
74
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#62 PF | 5 | 6' 10" | 240 | 28 | 1/29/92 | 4th season | |
PF |
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16 |
74
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#59 PF | 7 | 6' 7" | 240 | 33 | 2/20/87 | 12th season | Wake Forest |
PF |
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2 |
69
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#101 PF | 6' 7" | 215 | 22 | 2/10/98 | Rookie | Colorado | |
C |
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51 |
77
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#33 C | 7 | 7' 4" | 290 | 32 | 8/15/88 | 6th season | |
C |
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33 |
74
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#43 C | 7 | 7' 0" | 240 | 27 | 8/18/93 | 6th season | Kentucky |
The best thing about this newfound duo in Dallas is that they are seemingly perfect fits for each other. The pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop combination between these two guys should tear up the league for the foreseeable future, as both are threats to shoot the 3 and also attack the basket. Luka’s biggest weakness as of now is on the defensive end, but Kristaps should be able to minimize the damage with his elite shot blocking ability. It remains to be seen when Porizingis will be fully healthy and ready to contribute, but the potential for this combo is clearly off the charts.
The real question looming over the Mavericks is figuring out which players are best suited to surround Doncic and Porizingis in order to maximize their potential. It looks like they are bringing back Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee, two wings that can further alleviate Luka’s defensive limitations while also providing outside shooting. Dallas also acquired point guard Delon Wright in a sign-and-trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, a move that could allow Luka to thrive as an off-ball shooter when he needed. The Mavs even brought in Seth Curry, who proved he can be a rotation player on a playoff team last year, and he will be asked to provide additional floor spacing for Luka and Kristaps to operate.
While the potential of the young core in Dallas is certainly intriguing, they happen to reside in a conference that is poised to be an absolute blood bath when it comes to making the playoffs. With so many teams vying to earn that final playoff spot, can the Mavericks make a move to make their standing in the playoff race more formidable? Courtney Lee’s expiring contract may be the most enticing trade piece they have left, as they gave up much of their future draft capital to acquire Doncic and Porizingis. That being said, it wouldn’t be the end of the world if Dallas uses this season to build up the chemistry between their two stars while also positioning themselves to have a high draft pick in the 2020 draft in order to get that coveted third piece.