Dallas Mavericks
Current Record: 26-20, Last 10: 8-2
Winning 11 of their last 14 games, the Dallas Mavericks are now 26-20 on the season and currently the 5-seed in the Western Conference, but I am not sure if it is time to start calling this team a true championship contender this season.
The Dallas Mavericks has proven that they can fight amongst the league’s best teams, posting wins over the Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, and Memphis Grizzlies this season, but 19 of their 26 wins this season have come against teams with a .500 or below record, whereas 12 of their 20 losses have come against teams with a winning record.
Basically, we need to see more from the Mavericks before we can truly judge them. They have simply won games that they are supposed to this season and have lost to teams that will be in the playoff picture.
Luka Doncic is a fantastic player and will be making his third straight All-Star appearance this season, but what else do the Dallas Mavericks really have?
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Kristaps Porzingis is a former All-Star and has played like one at times this season, but durability is a key concern with him, as Porzingis has already missed 16 games this season. Tim Hardaway Jr. is another key contributor on offense, but he is only averaging 14.5 points per game and shooting 33.4% from three-point range after receiving a four-year, $75M contract from the Mavericks in the offseason.
The Western Conference may be weaker than usual, but in order to take down teams like the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and even the Memphis Grizzlies, the Dallas Mavericks are going to need more consistency and quite honestly, just more talent.
The reason the Mavericks have been so successful over their latest stretch of games is that they have locked in defensively and have moved up to being the 4th best-rated defense in the NBA. Being a great defensive team will help the Mavericks go a long way the rest of the season, but in the playoffs, you also have to be a well-balanced offensive team in order to reach the NBA Finals.
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Dallas currently ranks 22nd in the league in offensive rating and is middle-of-the-pack in bench points per game, which is why the trade deadline will be extremely important for them.
If the Dallas Mavericks do not add another secondary scorer next to Luka Doncic, it is hard to see them advancing past the first round of the playoffs. This organization has not won a playoff series since winning the title in 2011, so expectations for them to make a deep playoff run should be low right now.
