NBA Power Rankings: Doncic, Mavs Being Underestimated?
The 2022-23 NBA season will begin in a little more than one month from now, and the Dallas Mavericks are hoping they’ll be able to replicate some of the success they experienced in last season’s run to the Western Conference Finals.
On one hand, that could be tougher to accomplish given that Jalen Brunson decided to leave in free agency. On the the other hand, Spencer Dinwiddie, who won’t be entering this season fresh off of ACL surgery rehab like last season, could be a suitable replacement for Brunson in the starting lineup next to Luka Doncic.
NBA writer Marc Stein recently weighed in with his thoughts on the Mavs. In his preseason power rankings, Stein has Dallas ranked at 13th overall and just the seventh-best team in the West behind teams like the New Orleans Pelicans and Minnesota Timberwolves.
“The Mavericks want to believe they’ll be stronger than they were last season because Christian Wood and JaVale McGee have arrived to fortify a frontline that badly needed a boost. Yet there's no dodging the reality that the Western Conference finalists, after that fairy-tale playoff ride, lost their second-best player without compensation when Jalen Brunson bolted for the Knicks,” writes Stein.
“So it’s difficult to see how Dallas, even with all the damage Luka Doncic does and the tremendous response Jason Kidd got from his players in Year 1 on the Mavericks' bench, stays in the West's top six given how much deeper the conference looks this season.”
With all due respect to our guy Stein, we don’t believe it’s that difficult to envision the Mavs being good enough to get home-court advantage in the playoffs again this season. Yes, the Pelicans, Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets are going to be healthier, but the Mavs still have enough talent to cruise through the regular season if Wood and McGee fit in the way we’re expecting them to.
When you have a healthy superstar like Doncic on your roster — who looks to be in the best shape of his career while having historic performances at EuroBasket 2022 — you can beat any given opponent on any given night. If Doncic can keep those ankles healthy throughout this season, expect the Mavs to exceed expectations for the second consecutive season.
You can follow Dalton Trigg on Twitter at @dalton_trigg
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Mavericks? Click Here.
Follow DallasBasketball.com on Twitter.
Follow DallasBasketball.com on Facebook.
