Getty The Dallas Mavericks regroup on the bench during a timeout.
On Wednesday evening, the Dallas Mavericks open up their preseason schedule against the Utah Jazz. This will be the first of four preseason games, as Dallas will play on their home court at the American Airlines Center against the team coming off of the best regular season record in the NBA.
While the preseason brings a much different opportunity than the regular season, it’s still extremely important. For a team with championship aspirations, it’s a chance to build chemistry and integrate the new faces on the team. It’s also a chance to evaluate young prospects who are attempting to make the roster in Dallas.
What can fans expect in this opening matchup against the Jazz?
As the Mavericks head into their first preseason game, there’s a handful of roster and rotation questions to address.
Who’s Playing?
With the preseason not counting towards regular season records, many teams are extremely cautious with their key players throughout training camp and these exhibition games.
As such, there’s a few players that have already been determined to miss Wednesday’s game.
According to Jason Kidd, Frank Ntilikina, Dorian Finney-Smith and Dwight Powell will not play in the preseason opener. With it being the preseason, these are all precautionary decisions.
GettyFrank Ntilikina goes up against his new teammate in Luka Doncic.
While Ntilikina won’t be able to make his Mavericks debut, he’ll have plenty of opportunity going forward. Both Finney-Smith and Powell are slated to be starters for the team this season, meaning they will leave major voids to fill.
With that in mind, there will be more opportunity than ever for players to step up in their absence.
Without Powell, the starting center spot could be up for grabs for guys like Moses Brown and Willie Cauley-Stein. Both are fighting for the backup center position and will have a ton of competition for minutes during the regular season.
Finney-Smith starts on the wing, meaning guys like Josh Green and Reggie Bullock will have the chance to play additional minutes on Wednesday night.
Limited Starter Action
Even the core players who are active won’t play a full game on Wednesday. The first two quarters of action will likely be the most competitive of the game with top-level talent.
“You’ll probably just see them out there for the first half. They’ll play together in the first and second quarter, but that will be the end of their night,” said Kidd on Tuesday.
It appears for at least this first game, guys like Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis will only be playing in the first half.
Luka Doncic vs. Reggie Bullock in Mavs’ end-of-practice scrimmage today
For players looking to make the roster or prove they’re worth a bigger role on the roster, this means the second half will be their time to shine. While the first half will look similar to the standard regular season rotation, the second half is all about opportunity.
For guys like Doncic and Porzingis, this is a game to get back in the groove and work into game shape. When the regular season rolls around in a few weeks, their time to make a true impact will really begin.
In the meantime, expect large portions of these preseason contests to feature the guys that aren’t the core pieces of the roster. While winning and losing doesn’t matter, the preseason is still one of the most important times of the year.