On Thursday night, the Dallas Mavericks played the 1st seed in the West Minnesota Timberwolves, while missing Kyrie Irving, Josh Green, Seth Curry & Maxi Kleber. The game was competitive until around the 8-minute mark, where then the Timberwolves would break away and turn the game into a blowout. Not many blowout losses leave a fan base with positive vibes and a clear direction of a team, but this was different. Let’s talk about 3 reasons why Dallas is closer to contention than anyone in Mavs Land may have believed entering this season.
The Stars
The Dallas Mavericks’ beginning, middle & end of being a contender starts with Luka Doncic & Kyrie Irving. Much was made of the star duos handful of games played together last season and the negative outcomes in the clutch. The question was asked over & over again by countless observers and outlets: “Can Luka Doncic & Kyrie Irving co-exist on a contending team?” The answer was yes, is yes & will continue to be YES.
Can they perform in the clutch together? The Mavericks are 9-2 this season in clutch games. Question has been answered.
Can Luka learn to play off-ball, so Kyrie isn’t only a spot-up offensive player? Luka is 40.4% on spot-up 3-point shots through 23 games on 47 attempts (roughly 2 attempts per game.) Luka was 35.2% last season on just 71 attempts in 66 games (roughly 1 attempt per game.) Question has been answered.
Can the 2-man Luka/Kyrie lineups produce positive results? In 344 minutes played, Dallas has a 119.6 offensive rating & 113.5 defensive rating with both Luka & Kyrie on the floor. The offense would be the 3rd best offense in the NBA and the defense would be 14th in the NBA. Net rating of 6.1 would be 5th in the NBA. Question has been answered.
The key question for the Luka/Kyrie duo has never been about if they could co-exist. It has always been about could the organization surround the 2 stars with the proper talent to be able to contend. So far, the front-office has done a great job of surrounding them with complementary talent. However, the job is not done. BUT, they are closer to being “done” than some may think. More on this later.
The Newcomers
The work that Nico Harrison has done as the GM of the Dallas Mavericks has been wonderful so far. The retooling he has done through the past 2 ½ years as the head of the Mavs’ front office was needed and his vision gets clearer and clearer each day. Along with Kyrie Irving & Markieff Morris (I still consider them newcomers to this team since they were in Dallas very briefly last season), the draft night moves to draft Dereck Lively II, OMax Prosper & to acquire Richaun Holmes have paid off MAJORLY. Lively’s development as the center the Mavs have needed for the past 6 years is already a success and he seems like a surefire all-Rookie team member. OMax is rough around the edges, but you can already see with a couple development years that Dallas will have a versatile defensive wing-presence from OMax. Holmes has been fine in his time in Dallas, but also a major upgrade from other backup big men of the past. Then you have the signings of Dante Exum, Derrick Jones Jr & Grant Williams. All have been upgrades over the supporting cast members of last years’ team, and all are YOUNGER. Outside of the on-court positive play from each of the newcomers in Dallas, I believe the biggest factor in Dallas is that the youth injection into this team is the exact thing Dallas needed to be a more competitive regular season squad. 82 game seasons are tough. Injuries happen, off nights happen, wear & tear on aging NBA bodies happen. A remedy to this is having 6 of your top 10 players in minutes played being 26 years old & younger. Compare this to last season, where 8 of the top 10 in minutes played were 27 years old & OLDER. A vital difference in the makeup of this roster. The newcomers are good, the newcomers are (mostly) young, and they are so very vital to fulfilling the vision that Nico Harrison has instilled into this team’s plans.
The Vibes
There are many reason the Vibes in Dallas are great this season. Luka is in shape. Luka has bought into the team’s new direction. Kyrie is a leader on & off the court for the young guys. The newcomers have brought energy, as well as the rookies bringing vibrance. Jason Kidd has even been clamoring for some “Positive Sh*t” to be written about this team. Well, here is something positive for everyone…
The Dallas Mavericks’ vibes are indicative of a team that is one, MAYBE two, and I stress maybe, moves away from being a clear-cut contender. The vibes amongst the team seem great, and the vibes they are provoking of the fanbase are the best since Game 7 of the Western Conference Semi-Finals in 2022 in Phoenix. Why are these vibes so important? Again, it cannot be stressed enough that an 82-game regular season is a GRIND. A grind that a certain level & type of vibes can help win you a few extra games here and there.
Early November game @ Orlando on the 2nd night of a B2B, overcoming a double-digit 2nd half deficit to then win by 15? Vibes win.
Earlier this week at home versus the Lakers, while missing 4 of your top 10 best players? Vibes win.
The power of vibes is something that can make you like the Detroit Pistons who have lost 23 straight games. Or they can make you like the current Dallas Mavericks, battling through injuries and tough travel schedules to a 16-9 record. Talent can only take you so far. Vibes are something that can turn a play-in team into a possible top 4 seed.
Dallas has vibes. They have talent. They just need one more piece to combine the two into an Immaculate feeling that hasn’t been felt in the DFW area for this team since Jalen Brunson departed.
