Who says resumption of the NBA season says need for motivation. And who says need for motivation says…? Find good reasons! For each team of the 2022-23 season, we wanted to be useful, helpful, and a little funny if the subject allows it. Here are the 10 good reasons to follow the Dallas Mavericks over the next few months, between ambitions and… consistency. Yeah consistency sounds good for the Mavs draft.
#1: Luka Doncic takes revenge for a failed EuroBasket
We know him grumpy, frustrated by the whistles and a score that gives him the loser 20 seconds from the end, but Luka Doncic is also a big revenge. A 2m01 ball full of pride, with weaknesses hidden behind the fridge door, ready to release a fifth XXL season. Will he be a legitimate candidate next April in the race for MVP trophy ? Most likely. They even put three kopeks on him before all the others. No All-Star potential among his teammates (Christian Wood in the distant future?), and a boulevard left by the departure of Jalen Brunson in order to break the bar of 30 points per game over a season. If he hasn’t benefited too much since the end of EuroBasket and finally starts his season at his ideal weight, then yes, Luka Doncic can succeed Nikola Jokic.
#2: See what the team is worth – or isn’t worth – without Jalen Brunson
16.3 points at 50% shooting including 37% from the parking lot, 3.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists on average last season, a place in the race for the MIP trophy and an incredible salary reconsideration in New York: Jalen Brunson lived the first year of his life of “All-Star in the making”. Will he perform far from his bases? For the Mavericks, the perception is the opposite: will they be able to put the lid back on without the one who, more than raised, downright unbridled his level of play in the Playoffs (21.6 points average at 47% shooting)? We do not see him as a replacement within the Mavs group, unless a two way contract or that a similar profile out of the bottom of the drawer escaped us. His defense will not be lacking, but when it comes to ignoring a player’s shortcomings, it is because he is – despite everything – a real added value. This was the case of Jalen Brunson: good luck without him.
#3: See what the team is worth – or isn’t worth – without Trey Burke
He was playing basketball sitting down,It may be a detail for you,But for me it means a lot,That means he was free,Glad to be here anyway…
A certain tribute from France Gall to Trey Burke, little used during his Mavericks years. From his arrival in Dallas in 2019 to his departure to the Thunder this summer, Trey Burke did not bring much. And yet, his absence could strongly affect the collective results of the Texans this season (not at all).
#4: Cleanliness by Dorian Finney-Smith
A real good basketball player whose youth will never wear the flocking. His actions reflect what Luka Doncic needs – in greater numbers – to take the Mavericks on a course: hustle, skill, devotion, defense, all the ingredients for the group to progress from year to year and – that as an individual – Dorian Finney-Smith is considered one of the best lieutenants in the NBA. Otherwise, what do you call a slamming 3&D 8 shots from the parking lot in a Game 4 conference semi-final against the Suns?
#5: See if the new Spencer Dinwiddie
Spencer Dinwiddie, the man who whispered in Luka Doncic’s ear: “Hey Luka, how do you do your stuff there, it’s super stylish”. Since arriving in Texas last February, Dinwiddie has gotten up to speed with an accuracy/consistency he’s never known in his eight-year career. In 23 games including 7 started in the starting five, Dinwiddie produced averages of 15.8 points at 50% shooting including 40% at 3-pointers, 3.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and only 1.3 lost ball in 28 minutes of play. We absolutely did not see him integrating so quickly, so naturally, into an already structured rotation. Author of 44 games with the Wizards, he was – until his arrival in Texas – far from being an asset “valid” in the 2021-22 season (38% shooting, 31% 3-point). It is clear that Spencer is no longer the same.
#6: The exit from the bench of Christian Wood
In Dallas, Christian Wood will be “primarily used as a sixth man”announced Jason Kidd to the Media Day of the Mavericks. Amazing for the 27-year-old strong winger, in clear progression over his last seasons, and holder in 122 of his 222 NBA career games. With a little hindsight, it is true that he never experienced the Playoffs in the role of a first lieutenant. He will surely have to learn from Maxi Kleber – among others – before hoping to join Luka Doncic in the starting lineup. However, he is predicted to have great legitimacy in the race for Sixth Man of the Year Award.
#7: To compare any player who eases off a fadeaway to Dirk
Every time a power winger who wears the Wizards jersey lifts his foot on a fadeaway, his reputation is already well established: he is a “young Dirk”. We will finally realize after six games that he is unable to do it again and that he only has Dirk on defense. Cut off, he will then leave for Zalgiris Kaunas in December where he will score 7 points per game and will be injured in February, before joining an Icelandic club which is competing in the 13th European Cup.
#8: The Americanism of Mark Cuban
He could have played in Friends, given the reply on the Disney Channel and thus provoked the automatic laughter of American programs. If the Earth has 10 million Americans, Mark Cuban is one of them. If the Earth has 10 Americans, Mark Cuban is one of them. If Earth only has one American, then it’s Mark Cuban and if Earth has no Americans, that means Mark Cuban is dead.
No, we don’t know any more American than Mr. White Teeth and the head of a gynecologist from Massachusetts.
#9: The game between Theo Pinson and the NBA
On July 17, the NBA introduced the “Finch Rule”, a rule created to counter the barouf of Theo Pinson on the bench of the Mavericks. By “barouf”we hear “raise your arms to ask Stephen Curry for the ball with a t-shirt the same color as the Warriors jersey”. It happened in the Playoffs, and it surely would have happened again if the NBA hadn’t changed its rules to prevent this type of bullshit. Except that the latest news, Theo Pinson does not care royally: “I will find an escape there”.
#10: The optics of a second round between Luka Doncic and Devin Booker
Luka Doncic’s smile under Devin Booker’s nose: no need to attach the image, your mind is already visualizing it. We can only hope for a second round – outside the regular season – between these two monsters that will dominate the NBA over the next few seasons. The voltage and the trashtalking would then be there.