The Dallas Mavericks made the Western Conference Finals during the 2022 playoffs, despite Luka Doncic being the lone star on the roster. Doncic really put the Mavericks on his back in the postseason, averaging 31.7 PPG, 9.8 RPG, and 6.4 APG for the team.
Though Luka Doncic managed to get far in the playoffs in 2022, there’s no guarantee that this will happen again. After all, the Western Conference is looking much tougher for the upcoming season. There are a lot of injured stars such as Zion Williamson and Kawhi Leonard who are returning to their teams, making the Western Conference even more stacked with talent.
Recently, Luka Doncic admitted that the Western Conference will be more loaded with talent for the upcoming season, noting that there are “too many good players” in the West. Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News relayed Doncic’s words.
“I mean, I don’t know if it’s toughest, but it’s tougher than last season for sure. Yeah, I think Clippers are going to be really good. There’s a lot of teams that are going to be really good, and it’s going to be tough. Too many good players — it’s going to be tough. You have to go 100% for every game.”
Hopefully, though, we see Luka Doncic have a productive season despite the increased competition, and perhaps he can win the MVP award if the Dallas Mavericks are a high enough seed.
The Dallas Mavericks Have Made Solid Moves Around Luka Doncic
Though they lost Jalen Brunson in free agency this summer, the Dallas Mavericks did manage to make a splash by acquiring Christian Wood from the Houston Rockets. In fact, NBA insider Ohm Youngmisuk stated that this move was the most impactful move of the offseason.
“Christian Wood fills all the things Dallas was missing in the postseason – a big man who can spread the floor and score – if he’s in the right frame of mind. He should be able to give Luka Doncic much needed help, and JaVale McGee will give them some much-needed rim protection.”
Hopefully, Ohm Youngmisuk is right about Christian Wood’s impact on the Dallas Mavericks. There were times in the playoffs when the Dallas Mavericks offense got bogged down due to there being a lack of other elite offensive players next to Luka Doncic, and Christian Wood should help with that.
It remains to be seen if the Dallas Mavericks will be able to reach the same heights that they did in last season’s playoffs. They certainly have the talent to get far, and we’ll see how well they do.
