The Dallas Mavericks are trying to move past the Luka Doncic era after he was unceremoniously traded by the old regime. Dallas made the NBA Finals just three seasons ago. Last season, they missed the playoffs without Doncic.
Cooper Flagg is now the face of the franchise. However, he didn’t play with a good point guard at all last season. Kyrie Irving was injured for the entire season. With him healthy, they have hope they can be a playoff team. John Hollinger of The Athletic does not think so.
Mavericks Predicted to Miss Playoffs Because of Poor Guard Play
Hollinger believes that the lack of depth at the guard position is the biggest reason why Dallas will miss out on the playoffs this season. He believes Irving is the only one who can be trusted.
“Otherwise, the Mavs’ roster is almost laughably tilted toward big forwards. I only count four guards on the entire roster, one of whom (Irving) may not be here all season and another (Marcus Sasser) who is unlikely to play much,” Hollinger writes.
Irving was a key player next to Doncic when the Mavs made the Finals. However, he is now 34 years old and coming off an ACL tear. He doesn’t fit the timeline of the other players on the roster, and trade rumors are already swirling around him.
If Irving does get traded, Flagg will find himself in the same situation he was in a year ago. He won’t have a proper guard to get him the ball in positions to be successful. That is important for his development as a young superstar forward.
A new coach and a new GM signal that the Mavericks are fully leaning into a rebuild around Flagg. Now, they have to get players around him who complement his skill set. That will be up to Masai Ujiri, who has a much better track record than Nico Harrison did.
Dallas Still Has a Bright Future
Even if the Mavericks don’t make the playoffs this season, the future is still bright for them. Hollinger likes the infrastructure around Flagg as he grows into the player he is going to become.
“Players like Max Christie, Aldama, Risacher and sharpshooter Tarik Biberović are still in their early-to-mid 20s, and Flagg looks like a perennial All-Star. There’s enough talent to stay in the Play-In chase all season, and the long-term future is bright. But we might have to wait another year for a winning record,” Hollinger notes.
The rest of the Western Conference still has good teams, and most of them still have more overall talent than Dallas does. Making sure Flagg is surrounded by good players who can help him develop is going to be the most important thing that Ujiri and Dusty May do this season.
Flagg was the Rookie of the Year last season, and he has all the makings of the next great star.
Mavericks Predicted to Miss Playoffs For One Big Reason