Luka Doncic Needs Help.
Last night, the Dallas Mavericks lost 119–101 to the Minnesota Timberwolves. While Dallas was able to hang around for a majority of the game, the manner in which they lost this game brought to light all the issues I have with this roster.
On paper, the Mavericks have had an excellent season thus far, being the 4th seed out West and bouncing back from their disappointing conclusion to last season. Though Dallas has outperformed expectations, many of the same reservations myself and others had about the team going into the season have remained true. In their game against the Wolves last night, even with another masterful performance from Luka Doncic, the flaws with the surrounding cast were more apparent than ever against a team as deep and well-rounded as Minnesota. Obviously, once Kyrie Irving is healthy, this team will be better and more dangerous, but without some major roster changes, the ceiling of the Mavs is, at the very best, the WCF.
Before I dig too deep into the flaws of this team, I first want to discuss why they have been able to compete at a high level even with those flaws. Luka Doncic has been maybe the best basketball player on the planet this year. Though Doncic has long been a top 5 player in the league, there still felt like there was another level he could reach, and after an offseason where he seemingly took his diet as well as strength and conditioning more seriously than ever by hiring a new trainer. Averaging 32.3 points per game, Luka falls only short of Joel Embiid, and with the recent tear he has gone on after joining fatherhood, it is feasible to see him eventually eclipse him. While Doncic has always been an elite scorer, he has risen to a level of being completely unstoppable this year. Building on his already unreal abilities such as his around-the-rim scoring as well as touching up on areas of weaknesses such as his free throw and 3-point shooting, he has become an impossible guard even for premier defenders like Jaden McDaniels, who also has the best rim protector in basketball behind him. Luka has also matched his top-notch scoring with having the very strong argument of being not only the best playmaker in basketball but one of the best we have ever seen grace the sport. Routinely, Doncic is making some of the most outlandish passes you will witness and is elevating a roster that is very average talent-wise to a top 5 unit in the league built on the back of his scoring and passing combination. Paired alongside Luka, the Mavericks have also finally got a home run pick in their rookie center Dereck Lively. Lively came into the season shouldering a lot of pressure as he would be forced into a starting role on a team that was trying to compete. While the expectations of Dereck being a reliable starter may have seemed lofty entering the season, the rook has not only met but massively exceeded those standards. Lively is obviously not the talent that Kristaps Porzingis is, but he is a far better fit alongside Doncic as he demands the ball far less but is still an elite vertical threat for Luka to toss lobs to, and he has been an excellent shot-blocker on the other end. The Mavericks have also got some great contributions from Dante Exum, who they basically picked up off the streets and have turned him into a huge bright spot in Irving’s absence. When Irving gets back, the team will also regain the privilege of having one of the most deadly scoring tandems in the NBA.
Now with all the positives out of the way, let’s dive into the glaring issues that ultimately will hold Dallas back from having any real success. With a playmaker as elite as Doncic, you would hope he would be surrounded by elite shooters, but while the talent is there, they are inconsistent in every way. Specifically, Dallas’s big offseason acquisition, Grant Williams, has at times looked like a knockdown threat from outside but also has had far too many games similar to last night where his sporadic shooting has completely taken them out of games. Derrick Jones Jr. is another player who has found himself in the Mavericks starting lineup and similar to Williams while his percentages may look appealing, the actual threat he provides to the defense is very minimal. With the volatility Kyrie brings with his long list of injuries, Dallas cannot afford to have such a small number of players who provide real threats as off-ball shooters or on-the-ball creators. What is frustrating about this organization is that they are not that far away from contention; you never are when you have a player like Doncic who is playing at the caliber he is, but seeing a feasible path for them to attain the proper pieces to rise to that next level becomes very hard. Any asset that would allow them to attain anything truly worthwhile also is essential to their current success and with minimal value in their draft equity, it becomes increasingly difficult to envision a world where this roster goes under any massive upgrades. So while the Mavericks have found a formula that allows them relatively good success, it also feels like this iteration of Dallas basketball has met its ceiling and will be outdone by a team like the Timberwolves whose deep talent on both ends of the floor will prevail them over a far more one-dimensional Mavericks team in a playoff atmosphere. Luka Doncic is one of the rare players that it feels like a letdown to not be competing for championships, and even with him playing like the NBA, I find it hard for Dallas to do so.
