DALLAS — Start making plans, the Dallas Mavericks are going to win the NBA Finals. If it can happen for the Texas Rangers, it can happen for anyone! Hyperbole aside, the Mavs have navigated through their first week of the 2023-2024 season alone atop the Western Conference. Dallas is one of just two unbeaten squads, along with the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
They have remained undefeated squarely on the back of El Matador Luka Doncic and the top ranked league offense, beating their in-state rival San Antonio, their dearly departed friend Dorian Finney-Smith, and the Brooklyn Nets, the Ja Morant-less Memphis Grizzlies, and the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night with an extremely potent offense.
Backcourt Explosion
Doncic is on an early tear to begin his sixth NBA season and was somehow robbed for the NBA player of the week award despite averaging an absurd 39 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists over Dallas’ first three wins. Doncic’s three-point shot accuracy has been on point, with half of his shot attempts finding the mark in the early season.
The return of Luka magic, the shots that have no business going in, has been in full effect. Doncic does things on a basketball court that requires a deep appreciation to step back and admire just how good he is at making something special happen, and the bad vibes seen in his facial expressions closing last season’s disappointing year have not presented themselves.
Kyrie Irving, the team’s co-Quarterback, has been nursing a foot injury but has received his usual touches when on the court. The Mavs have a backcourt logjam that can spell Kyrie while he works his way back to full strength, with Jaden Hardy, Tim Hardaway, and Seth Curry angling for playing time in his absence.
Hardaway has performed respectably, raising his mid-range shot selection and bringing in an efficient second scoring option even in his bench role while Irving rests. Hardaway has scored at least 17 points in each of the team’s games so far – including 24 in the win on Wednesday.
There was concern with the minutes that the young guards Josh Green and Hardy would receive entering the season, and after a handful of games, Jason Kidd’s rotation continues to be unpredictable.
Hardy has yet to receive meaningful minutes, but Green did start in place of Irving against Memphis. Derrick Jones Jr. was the unexpected big winner from Kyrie’s absence, as he put up a healthy 22 points that guarantees a longer look going forward.
How the new Mavs have fit
The new additions meant to bolster Doncic’s bid to return to the playoffs have acclimated well in the young season. Rookie first-round draft pick Dereck Lively introduced himself as the fulcrum of the frontcourt in his first NBA start. Lively scored more in his first night than he ever did in college at Duke, and is the league leader in Field Goal Percentage (.789%) for the young season.
He is playing a modest 20 minutes per game so far, but will be stealing more time from the older vets as the season progresses. Look for Lively to be a double-digit average scorer by the end of his first month as he continues to get acclimated.
The big offseason acquisition Grant Williams has so far been a better version of Reggie Bullock in every aspect. His defense has been noticeable and his spot up three-point shooting (45%) has been a big contributor to the Mavs’ offensive rating topping the league.
The Mavs will continue to look to run their opponents off the floor as they get ready for the inaugural in-season tournament to begin on Friday. While Williams and Lively have made their defensive presence known, they are about to face off against the baddest big in the league.
Dallas has its first real test of the season against Nikola Jokic in the Mile-High city on Saturday as they take on the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets. This game will provide us an understanding of where this team can realistically see itself early in the year and where the depth chart shuffling needs to reside.
One thing is certain, Doncic is on a tear and seems to perform up to the competition. The colossal matchup of the best players in the league will be one to watch.
How do you think the Mavericks will fare in the first ever in-season NBA tournament? Share your predictions with Irvin on Twitter @Twittirv.
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