Getty Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr.
The Dallas Mavericks are set to roll out their new-look roster and starting lineup Wednesday against the Charlotte Hornets. After striking a deal to bring Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Trey Burke, and Courtney Lee to town, fans will get first look at a few new faces.
Unfortunately, one of those faces will not be Porzingis, but that was to be expected moving forward. Regardless, Mavericks fans will surely see plenty of Hardaway and potentially Burke. Overall, attempting to figure out the team’s rotations will be interesting, but one thing to note is that Luka Doncic could wind up running the point right away.
Let’s jump in and look at the projected roster and starting lineup for the Mavericks against the Hornets. It’s likely that Hardaway will step into the starting five, but there are still a handful of questions to be sorted out.
Mavericks Roster & Starting Lineup vs. Hornets
| Position | Expected Starter | Backup | |
| Center | Maxi Kleber | Dwight Powell | Salah Mejri |
| Power Forward | Harrison Barnes | Dirk Nowitzki | |
| Small Forward | Dorian Finney-Smith | Courtney Lee | Ryan Broekhoff |
| Shooting Guard | Tim Hardaway Jr. | Devin Harris | Daryl Macon |
| Point Guard | Luka Doncic | Trey Burke | Jalen Brunson |
Among the many players the Mavericks added, Hardaway is the only one who’s fully expected to see big minutes. How Lee and Burke are utilized will be worth watching but there’s a chance the latter could be the backup point guard moving forward. While Jalen Brunson has put together a few solid showings, Burke can provide more as a scorer for the second unit.
The Mavericks’ gameplan at center will be a talking point as well, but it seems Maxi Kleber could get the starting nod. Dwight Powell will also see a decent amount of playing time and both players could act as the backup power forward with Dirk Nowitzki likely still playing fairly low minutes.
Kristaps Porzingis Expected to Sit Season Out
When the Mavericks acquired Porzingis, the obvious hope was that it would be a long-term move, and that does seem to be the plan. The Mavericks apparently have no interest in putting Porzingis on the floor this season. Owner Mark Cuban made that clear shortly after the deal, as Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News revealed.
Mark Cuban says Porzingis will not play this year because “we want to make sure we are very conservative,” adding of the trade: I’m obviously incredibly excited. We have talked to all of the guys and each is excited to join the Mavs.”
While the 23-year-old continues rehabbing from a torn ACL which was suffered last season, there was some belief he’d return before the end of the year. The Mavericks have opted to play it safe, let their new forward get completely back to 100 percent and then build around him and Doncic ahead of the 2019-20 season.
Of course, the plan from there is likely to sign him to a long-term contract extension, which also seems likely.
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