Player Profiles: Grant Williams & Jaden Hardy

Josh Mazur and Mike Sanders break down what they expect from Grant Williams and Jaden Hardy this season. Where does Grant Williams play most of his minutes? Where will Jaden Hardy find himself on the depth chart? The answers could surprise you.

Dallas Mavericks Preseason Overreactions

Josh and Mike overreact to the Mavericks preseason so far as they get ready for the NBA season to start. 

Preseason Game 1 Takeaways

In their first preseason game of the season, the Dallas Mavericks fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves 111-99. Here are a few takeaways and bright spots from the game.

 The biggest takeaway is arguably the performance of the potential starters Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper. Lively II had a few bright spots in this game, such as his energy on the defensive end, and his willingness to switch seamlessly. He seemed to make the Timberwolves at least think before driving into the paint. He also rebounded well, finishing the game with five boards. A big area of improvement to keep an eye out for is how quickly the fouls pile up. This is not something new with Lively. He had the same issue of staying on the court because of the foul count when he played last season for the Duke Blue Devils. No doubt, with him working so closely with Tyson Chandler, he will show improvement on defending without fouling.

 Prosper did not have a great showing in the first game. He finished with one point and one rebound. He seemed to be out of place defensively, and while he also displayed some energy, he lacked the physicality needed to be able to defend the elite perimeter players in this league, such as Anthony Edwards. If Prosper is going to want to earn and keep the starting spot on the roster, he is the player that needs to make the biggest adjustment in the remainder of the preseason games.

 Grant Williams showed some flashes of what was intriguing about acquiring him in the offseason. He knocked down two shots from outside in a pivotal moment where the Mavericks went on a scoring run in the third quarter. Williams also finished with two rebounds and a blocked shot.

 Jaden Hardy has really improved on some of the items that the coaching staff really wanted him to focus on in summer league and heading into this season. One of those being his ability to facilitate on the offensive end. Dallas fans are aware that Hardy knows how to shoot the ball, but he showed obvious signs of his improvement in finding open teammates to knock down shots. He made an impressive play early in the third quarter, where he drove to the rim and found AJ Lawson in the corner with a one-handed no-look pass. If he continues to improve in this area, it should help to solidify his spot in the rotation, even with the addition of Seth Curry and Dante Exum.

 The Mavericks play their second game in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, October 7 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Preseason Game 1 Reactions: Pros and Cons

Mike and Josh try not to overreact to the first preseason game. Is Luka alone? Which surprising player shined? Find out on the 214 The Win Podcast.

Dallas Mavericks impact players?

The start of preseason is upon us, Josh and Mike discuss who they think will be a bigger impact player: Jaden Hardy or Josh Green. There was a major trade in the NBA recently and the guys break down whether or not some of the leftover players involved in the trade could be helpful for the Mavericks this season.

Also, Josh Mazur has some takeaways after attending Dallas Mavericks Media Day.

Player Profile: Dereck Lively & Olivier-Maxence Prosper

This week Josh and Mike break down what they expect from the much anticipated 2023 Dallas Mavericks rookie class. Dereck Lively and Olivier Maxence Prosper have been giving fans a lot to be excited about so far in summer league and camp. Will they both end up as starters? 

Practice? We're Talkin' 'bout Practice?!

Mike and Josh talk about the Mavericks first day of practice before a hectic preseason schedule starts. Jason Kidd and Luka Doncic met with the media to discuss their first day back on the practice court.

FIBA Injury Panic and New Rules for Rest

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The guys break down the new NBA rule regarding resting "star" players and talk about their feelings regarding Luka Doncic' nagging leg injury. 

2023 Dallas Maverick Player Profiles Week 2

Josh and Mike break down what they expect from Dante Exum and Josh Green this season for the Dallas Mavericks after their performances on the Australian National team this summer. 

Is Josh Green poised for a big breakout season?
Is Dante Exum the player that we thought he would be straight out of college?

Luka vs Refs and Christian Wood Pointing Fingers Share Episode Stats Edit Episode

Josh and Mike break down the effect Luka's complaining has on the game and talk about Christian Wood thinks Dallas did. 

Dallas Mavericks Preseason Breakdown and Player Profiles

Josh and Mike break down the preseason schedule and why it might be a bad thing for the Dallas Mavericks. 

It's player profile season, hear what Mike and Josh have to say about some familiar faces in Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell.

Predicting the Future: Are the Mavericks Championship Contenders?

Take a moment and think about every championship contender in modern NBA history. After just 30 seconds, it would be common to recognize the various forms of contenders that would encompass that list. Superteams, star duos with adequate supporting casts, teams with one star and a sound slew of role players, balanced teams with no stars, teams built through the draft, teams built through free agency, teams who built both ways, teams who just couldn’t make it over the hump. The constant theme is that there is no one singular way to build a title contender. There are themes that have higher success rates, but the term success itself is relative. What makes a contender… a contender? For the Dallas Mavericks, this is a question that every player, coach, front office member, media member and fan is asking. How will Dallas become a contender again, and is it a replicable formula for the entirety of Luka Doncic’s era with the franchise?

The Now

As things stand in August 2023, there’s optimism on what this new season will bring to the city of Dallas, but conflicting feelings on whether or not the franchise has altered the makeup of the roster enough to be 2023-2024 contenders. Most would say the cautiously optimistic sweet spot in terms of predictions for the Mavericks would be to make the playoffs after a year away from the tournament, and contend for a 5 or 6 seed. Pessimism looks at a stacked Western Conference and a couple of serious needs left unfilled on the roster and see the Mavs contending for home-court in the play-in tournament at best. Consensus is that they are not a legitimate title contender, now just 10 months away from when we will find out who the next two contenders for the NBA Finals will be.

The additions of multiple defensive-minded rookies, an elite wing defender, and some solid role players to fill out the end spots of your bench are what we have seen thus far in the Summer of 2023 from Nico Harrison & co. The recipe they are preparing for the fanbase to feast on is centered around 2 stars, one under 25 years old and one over 30 years old (more on this later) who happen to be below-average defenders, but in the highest tier of the elites offensively. The way to build around Luka & Kyrie for contention is to surround them with sound defensive players who also possess multiple ways to contribute on offense. Players like Josh Green, Grant Williams, Olivier-Maxence Prosper & Dereck Lively II all currently, or are projected to fit that bill. It still remains to be seen whether or not a team can win a title while both star players are below-average defenders. The most recent example of the Denver Nuggets winning the 2023 NBA Championship doesn’t even fully align with how Dallas is building their team. No one would classify Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray as defensive stalwarts, but the main reason Jokic catapulted into yearly MVP contention and now a champion, is partly because of no longer being a liability on the defensive end. Sometimes, being average is all that it takes.

The two reasons Dallas is not yet considered a contender, are not having a clear-cut number three player for a contending roster, and relying too heavily on two rookies to be a core of the teams’ defensive identity. Dallas can fix the former, either through trade or through internal development via Josh Green, but the latter can only be fixed with time. Dallas has the blueprint to be a contender, but the pieces to create the immaculate puzzle that is a championship-worthy roster are still pending. They are closer today than they were in April, but this upcoming regular season will tell us all we need to know about the potential candidacy for Dallas to vault into the upper echelon of NBA contendership.

The Future

All the reasons that Dallas may not be ready for contention now, are the reasons that Dallas could be certified contenders in the future. The reliance on rookies Lively II and Prosper will be volatile. In year 1, Dallas cannot expect championship-level contributions on a consistent basis from these two, especially in a playoff series. However, they are both set-up for a development plan starting this Summer that could see them as starters and the 3rd & 4th best players on this team, respectively, within the next 2-3 years. The future aspirations for NBA Championships will significantly be impacted by the development of the rooks. Imagine it’s the beginning of the 2025-2026 season. Luka & Kyrie are still your star duo, with Luka fully entered into his prime and Kyrie having just exited his. Lively II and Prosper fill out the 4 & 5 spots in the starting lineup. Either Grant Williams or Josh Green have stayed aboard the ship and have the 5th starter role/7th man role locked down. Jaden Hardy is your scoring 6th man. Dwight Powell is still getting backup center minutes… (JOKING… maybe). Going into the 2025-2026 playoffs, all of Dallas’ young core will be 22-28 years old and with 3 seasons or more each of experience. Throw in that Irving should still be with the team at that point, and you have yourself a contender, and in my opinion, the best team in the association.

As goes life, everything stated above will likely not 100% transpire by the time 2025 arrives. However, Dallas isn’t fully reliant upon the aforementioned scenario playing out as their only pathway to contention. They have the young core that can organically grow into a contender, but they also have veteran pieces and assets to be additives to the process. Dallas currently possesses multiple 2nd round picks and their 2027 1st round draft pick for trading purposes. After exiting the 2024 draft next June, they would possess two 1st round picks to trade. And if they waited to trade 1sts until draft night 2025, they would be able to trade up to three 1st round picks. Dallas isn’t in the greatest position in terms of draft capital in the league, but they have improved their present and future outlooks while actually adding draft capital to their pool in Summer 2023. Don’t expect Dallas to be in the final four in June 2024, but they are on the cusp as long as they stay the current path.

Is Dallas’ Star Duo Going to Work?

Dallas possesses two star players on opposite sides of their primes. Kyrie Irving will enter this season at 31 years old, and Luka Doncic enters at 24. Here are a few other notable star duos that met the same criteria:

• Tim Duncan & David Robinson

• Tracy McGrady & Grant Hill

• Kobe Bryant & Shaquille O’Neal

• Amar’e Stoudemire & Steve Nash

• Dwyane Wade & Shaquille O’Neal

• Carmelo Anthony & Allen Iverson

• Kyrie Irving & LeBron James

• Bam Adebayo & Jimmy Butler

• Devin Booker & Chris Paul

Looking at this list of 9 star duos, there is a variety of combinations. The Spurs with Duncan & Robinson featured 2 dominant big men. You see Kyrie Irving as the young star with LeBron, and now the older star with Luka in Dallas. Shaquille O’Neal is featured with two of the top 5 shooting guards in NBA history, Kobe Bryant & Dwyane Wade. You have two defensive powerhouses in Adebayo and Butler in Miami. Also, you see the prototypical Point Guard-Big Man combo of Steve Nash & Amar’e Stoudemire. The duo that aligns most with Doncic & Irving is the Carmelo Anthony-Allen Iverson combo in Denver. Although Luka Doncic and Carmelo Anthony’s games have very few similarities, they were both elite offensively and subpar defensively as a whole. Whereas Irving & Iverson’s games as score-first undersized 2 guards are very alike. Irving began his tenure with Dallas at age 30, and Iverson began his tenure in Denver at age 31. The pairing of Anthony & Iverson was short-lived in Denver, spanning less than 2 full seasons and ending with two 1st round playoff exits. As mentioned, this was the duo that most closely compared to the other star duos who met the age criteria of the Mavericks’ duo, but there are still stark differences in this comparison. Luka Doncic’s facilitating ability is arguably top-2 in the NBA, a differentiator between him and Anthony. The Iverson-Anthony duo, in part didn’t produce title contention due to neither being a true floor general. Iverson was eventually traded to the Detroit Pistons with Chauncey Billups ending up in Denver, and the Nuggets made a Western Conference Finals run after that transaction, with Billups being the point guard that Denver truly needed to pair with Carmelo. Kyrie Irving, arguably, is in a better win-now position career-wise than Iverson was when he began his tenure in Mile High City, although the two do have much in common on the court. Dallas’ floor with the Luka-Kyrie duo is going to be the output from Denver in 2006-2008. The question is whether or not they will depict the success of a Duncan-Robinson combination, or either of Shaquille O’Neal’s duos. Dallas realistically has a 2, maybe 3 year window for the Luka-Kyrie era to show what it can produce. The ceiling is a contender for the entirety, the floor is multiple early-round playoff exits. How Dallas works around the edges with transactions and play development will determine whether this 2-3 year window turns into Dallas driving straight into another window once Irving’s time with the franchise comes to a close a few years from now.

Building a title contender is hard. One big mistake, or multiple minor mistakes can set a franchise back 2+ years in development. For Mavs fans, this has shown itself throughout the Dirk era and Luka’s era as well. No franchise builds a contender without a little luck as well. Dallas experienced some luck this off-season with somehow keeping their 2023 1st round pick and getting the 10th overall selection in the draft lottery. Then, they were fortunate for Sacramento to offload Richaun Holmes to Dallas with the 24th overall pick as the tax, and Dallas was able to select Olivier-Maxence Propser. For a franchise that has a history of bad draft lottery luck, the 2023 draft experience alone possibly opened a future window of title contention once this current window closes. Now, all Dallas has to do is avoid the setback mistakes, and continue to be patient in the process. Thus far, Dallas seems to have understood the assignment beginning this off-season.

Podcast: Dallas Mavericks Schedule Predictions

Josh and Mike make some predictions on the Dallas Mavericks season now that the 2023-24 schedule has been released.  

PODCAST: NBA In-Season Tournament Schedule Release and Kyrie's New Groove

Josh and Mike review the released schedule for the NBA In-Season Tournament. Does the tournament make things more interesting?

Is Kyrie Irving headed into a career year for the Dallas Mavericks?

Podcast: Favorite Dirk Moments, NBA Expansion, and Derrick Jones Jr.

Mike and Josh break down how they think the next NBA expansion should play out, they revel in some Mavs roster movement with the signing of Derrick Jones Jr. and review their favorite Dirk moments. 

Podcast: Kleber Deserves Better, Grant Williams says things, and Top 5 Barbenheimer Blockbusters

Josh and Mike talk about the son of an MLB baseball player and how he effected the Mavericks franchise, Grant Williams guesting on several podcasts, breaking down the apology from Dennis Schroder to Maxi Kleber, and etch in internet stone their top 5 summer blockbuster films in the shadow of this years Barbenheimer insanity.

Podcast: Are There Any Moves Left for the Mavericks?

Josh and Mike talk historical moments for this week in Mavs history, rating other teams off-season so far, and talk about the moves that are left on the table for the Mavericks right now.