DALLAS — Area sports fans, rejoice!
It’s a great time to be from the DFW. Your Texas Rangers are World Champions, the contending Dallas Stars are leading the Western Conference, the Dallas Cowboys are setting point differential records, and the new-and-improved Dallas Mavericks have seemingly transformed into an unstoppable machine on offense early in the new season.
If you have noticed that the Mavs are running teams off the floor with their shooting, consider yourself astute. The team’s offensive rating, the estimate of points scored per 100 possessions, has the 2023-24 Mavericks at an absurd 122.0 so far through 10 games and that number has only been improving by the week.
The tanking effort from last spring feels like dead and buried history.
So, what’s the cause for the turnaround? Dallas has been lights out from deep and are holding on to the ball, leading the league in 3-point attempt rate, while second in turnover percentage.
It also helps that Luka Doncic has seemingly ascended to yet another level. We’re seeing a truly Super Saiyan Doncic at this point. Not only is he averaging his most points ever in his sixth year, he’s doing it without sacrificing the flow of the game.
Doncic is simply scoring at a larger volume and more efficiently with the same touches. The Slovenian sensation is attempting the lowest amount of shots inside the arc since his rookie year, yet has his best percentage to date in both inside (62%) and outside (41%) shots.
Observers of the lean years would be keen to point out that a lot of the Luka desperation heaves actually went in, but it is a great sign for the team that he is recognizing that there are better options on the floor than in the past, which has led to better possessions for the whole offense. For all of his faults on free throw attempts, he is also eclipsing his career to date there, too. It's easy to forget that Doncic is still just 24, has yet to reach his prime, and is continuing to get better at his individual game.
Add in a true Robin to your Batman, and it is awful news for opponents this season.
Kyrie Irving has regained his legs quickly, and opposing defenses are left to pick their poison. The Mavs handled the Los Angeles Clippers and then New Orleans Pelicans on the backs of their two superstars. No one likes to put on a show against the Clippers more than Doncic, who lit up the “Big Four” with 44 points, 42 of those coming in the first three quarters of an absolute rout.
You can count Doncic as the prime Clippers killer in the league, but if he isn’t lighting a team up, Irving is carving them with his stride and ability to attack the rim. Irving had 27 in the L.A. destruction and contributed another 35 in the win at New Orleans. The acclimated eight-time All-Star’s three-point stroke is striking true as well, as he went 7-of-10 in the win over the Pelicans.
The Mavs now sit at 8-2. They have an identical record as the reigning champion Denver Nuggets while scoring a conference-best 124 points per game. The success on offense, especially from beyond the arc, has Dallas atop the Southwest division with the Houston Rockets looking up at 6-3. The best news of all is it appears that the roster is settling into their roles, and the rotation is looking like a hive mind.
Dallas has the second leg of their New Orleans festivities on Tuesday, a weird scheduling quirk from the In-Season Tournament group stage. The Pelicans are hurting at the moment, with CJ McCollum recovering from a collapsed lung.
The duo of Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson will be the roadblocks on Tuesday, with the second night of a back-to-back in D.C. on Wednesday potentially leading to some staggering minutes for the explosive Mavs backcourt. However, the Wizards have just two wins and could provide Dallas with a necessary respite.
With the schedule a bit abnormal thus far, the Mavs’ deep roster in this iteration is really helping them push through these occurrences so that they can be at full strength for the crucial matchups.
The next big test for the surprising Mavs? Surviving a trip out to Lake Michigan while facing Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee on Saturday to conclude their four-game road trip.
It was never easy against the Bucks with two-time MVP Antetokounmpo but now they’ve added Damian Lillard to their roster since the last time these teams faced off. With Antetokounmpo exerting some pressure on their front office over the summer, they made a move to keep their window open rather than risk their meal ticket’s departure.
Despite their top shelf three-point shooting, the Mavs will need to take some inside punches from Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez before concluding the week with yet another back end of a back-to-back hosting Sacramento.
Do you think the Mavericks will be able to keep it up from beyond the arc? Share your thoughts with Irvin on Twitter @Twittirv.
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