Dallas was one of the most talked about teams during the second half of the last season but not for what they did on court. Luka Doncic was basically traded for Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving tore his ACL and then, they got incredibly lucky in the draft lottery by landing the #1 pick with just 1.8% odds.
Even more fortunately for them, this was a draft with a generational talent as a potential #1 and they obviously selected Cooper Flagg with that pick. Flagg’s all-around game should be able to make him have an immediate impact in the league but it’s difficult to be outright great from Day 1. However, unlike what normally happens with most teams that have the #1 overall pick, Dallas has a deep roster filled with veteran players and they aim to be a very good team this season.
The main issue for this team this season is the way they have built their roster isn’t aligned with what a modern NBA team is these days. Anthony Davis will play at his favorite PF position as Dallas already had two good Centers in Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. Both players lack a decent shooting range and so, the Mavs will have to work around a potential lack of spacing on the offensive end.
P.J. Washington who used to play almost exclusively at the PF position will now have to play some minutes at the Small Forward position as well. If we add the fact that Cooper Flagg is 6’9’’, we will have a Dallas team with huge size close to the basket, something they should use on both ends of the floor.
The main problem is that Dallas will win in size, but they will lose in speed, something that is super important in today’s NBA as seen by the fact that Oklahoma City and Indiana both played in last year’s NBA Finals…
However, the main problem for the team this season should be in the backcourt…
Kyrie Irving will not be available during the first months of the season due to injury and so, the Mavs will have to meanwhile survive with a backcourt formed by D’Angelo Russell and Klay Thompson. This duo seems to lack proper playmaking ability to turn Dallas into a great team on offense, something that should put some pressure on Cooper Flagg to immediately take the reins and be the team’s main playmaker from Day 1.
Dallas will be as good this season as Flagg is competent as the team’s main playmaker, especially until Irving returns from injury mid-season.