The Dallas Mavericks have made some interesting offseason moves to give Luka Doncic a better core to battle in the Western Conference next season. After a Western Conference Finals run in the 2021-22 season, the Mavericks have added JaVale McGee and Christian Wood to the squad, with Jalen Brunson leaving the team.
Wood is possibly the biggest addition the Mavericks have made this summer, with the stretch-five complementing Luka’s game as ideally as a center in the league today can. He can stretch the floor, be in the pick-and-roll with Luka, and can provide more rim protection than they had last season.
However, Tim Cato of The Athletic has revealed that Wood will be coming off the bench after Jason Kidd intends to start Spencer Dinwiddie and JaVale McGee. Dinwiddie starting at the shooting guard means Reggie Bullock or Tim Hardaway Jr. will take the small forward position on the team, leading Dorian Finney-Smith to play as the power forward alongside McGee at the center.
i wrote how the starting five the Mavericks have planned for next season — with Christian Wood poised to come off the bench — retains the team's postseason identity, and shared more roster observations: https://t.co/j4ilSOuCbT
— tim cato (@tim_cato) July 12, 2022
Jason Kidd has declared that Spencer Dinwiddie and JaVale McGee will be starters, joining incumbent starters Dončić and Dorian Finney-Smith. I’ve been told the team’s planning to keep Reggie Bullock as the fifth starter. As things currently stand, the team’s splashiest acquisition this summer, Christian Wood, will come off the bench. (h/t Tim Cato – The Athletic)
This is a very odd move as the Mavericks could have a stronger lineup if they went for two bigs and started both Wood and McGee. Wood’s shooting allows him to be on the court with McGee as Doncic can have 2 PnR partners on the floor with him.
With Brunson gone, there is no ball-handler for the bench rotation anymore. Dinwiddie would have been perfect in that role, with spot-up shooters like Bullock or THJ starting alongside Luka. The Mavs could even have a starting 5 without McGee. There is versatility in the roster, hopefully, the Mavs can find the right combination of starters and repeat their form from this season in 2022-23.
