This is a great sign for a revamped Mavericks team desperate to prove they can be competitive after the disaster of last season. The Mavericks have had the easier schedule of these three teams, but the differences between this year’s Mavs and the last are truly stark nonetheless.
Luka has started the season in prime MVP form. The additions of Grant Williams, Exum, DJJ and Seth Curry have proved quite valuable, especially compared to last year’s roster. Dereck Lively has added a whole other dynamic on both ends of the floor. The team rebounding is actually above average, and the defense - while not statistically great - has shown real promise, especially in the clutch. All of this with Kyrie either shooting inefficiently or not playing at all.
Even if they lose tomorrow’s game, what the Mavs have shown us thus far is very exciting. I think this team is much closer to contending than the rest of the league realizes, and I’m beginning to trust Nico’s ability to pull it off more and more.
What are your thoughts on the Mavs’ start to the season? What has surprised you? What do you think they could improve, and what moves would you like to see them make before the trade deadline?
The Mavs are who we expected them to be last season: offensive juggernaut that can play defense when it counts. Their ceiling goes up the more comfortable they get playing together and they’ve just got to focus on consistency with their execution at this point. Top 10 defense and top 3 offense is in play, especially with Lively playing so solidly early on and DP evolving into his ultimate form off the bench.
I’m not too worried about the rotations, we knew from before a minute of meaningful game was played that there was going to be experimenting going on. The fact that they can experiment and also win games, while getting some valuable clutch time experience is kinda huge.