We’ve approached the Sweet 16 of the SneakerReporter NBA Top 30, and with that we’re 16 days out from the NBA season. Today we’ve witnessed the Los Angeles Clippers face off against the Shanghai Sharks, in a convincing 40-point win by the Clippers. Without going too into those teams however. we’d like to focus on today’s topic of discussion, coming in at number 16, the Dallas Mavericks.
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16. Dallas Mavericks: With the Mavs be able to trample the competition with their new core?
The Dallas Mavericks have turned the page on the Dirk Nowitzki era (this, like Dwayne Wade, still hurts me too), and have found their new core in 2nd year player Luka Doncic and the previous 4th pick in 2015, the Unicorn himself, Kristaps Porzingis. The organization has made small (for lack of a better word) changes in the roster by adding players such as the two 7 foot 3 inch bigs in Porzingis and Boban Marjanovic. The Mavericks went 33-49 last season as the 14th seed in the Western Conference during what became to be the Dirk Nowitzki Farewell Tour. There were no real hopes to make the Playoffs for the organization last season but are hoping for that to change as they’re shifting focus to their young European duo.
Looking at the Mavericks roster, they have a very strong core with solid role players that surround them. Tim Hardaway Jr. has seemed to find a place for himself after leaving New York, alongside other notable guards J.J. Barea and Seth Curry. It goes without saying that this team should have no issues on the offensive end, and are hoping to make themselves more sound defensively from this point on. This is where Boban Marjanovic comes in. Marjanovic has bounced around the league during his 5 year stint so far, and is hoping to make an impact for the Mavericks roster in the paint. Boban has been one of the more physically imposing players we’ve seen in this league for quite some time now, and is hoping to let that be known this upcoming season, crashing the boards and running to the rim off screens. The game plan for this roster can and may just be as simply as letting the guards and wings shoot and have your two bigs, whether it be those stated or Kleber and Powell, crash the boards. Doncic and Porzingis both seem to be very excited to get the season started, as they should be. The two are expected to great things together, and with the pieces that they have surrounding them, they might just be able to do so.
Like most teams that are ranked in the middle of our list, I see the Mavericks in the Playoff race this upcoming season, fighting for position until the very last game. The main thing that keeps them from making the Playoffs, however, is the quality of play the Mavericks will have when the starters are not on the floor, which will only be known over the course of the season. Although Mavericks fans surely feel a void within themselves by not seeing #41 on the floor every night, they have much to look forward to come October 22nd.
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