The Dallas Mavericks are having a very topsy-turvy season. The loss of Jalen Brunson has hurt the team far more than Mark Cuban or Nico Harrison anticipated, but the greatness of Luka Doncic is keeping them competitive in the Western Conference. They made the most of an easy schedule to get a 7-game win streak going to secure their place as a top 4 team in the West, but it all just came crashing down.
The Boston Celtics ran roughshod over the Mavericks in Texas, with even Luka Doncic struggling to contribute. While it looked like Luka was dealing with a health issue, he still tried competing and sat after the game was out of reach.
Charles Barkley made a damning statement on the Mavericks’ roster constriction around their 23-year-old superstar, by saying they aren’t a good team but succeed because they have a good player.
Chuck said I love Luka but the Mavs aren’t a good team, just a team with a good player
— Kristy (@_KristyW) January 6, 2023
Luka is proving that he is a generational talent every time he plays. The Mavs have built an offense overly reliant on Doncic either making impossible shots or passing out to open shooters and praying they make it. As the Celtics doubled Luka today, his shooters let him down severely, making only four 3s when he was on the floor.
How Do The Mavericks Improve Their Roster?
Poor draft and free agency decisions have led the Mavericks into the mess they are in. They signed JaVale McGee on a 3-year contract to be the starting center but now he’s the last man off the bench due to being entirely unplayable. In addition, losing Brunson and not replacing him has hurt stable ball-handling depth beyond Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie.
Trades are their only route and they’ve been heavily linked with Zach LaVine. It’ll give Luka the offensive relief he needs but a trade package might see the Mavs lose a young defender in Josh Green and additional pieces on the team. It is a tough situation in Dallas and they’ll hope to rectify it before Doncic starts looking elsewhere.
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