Last season, Jalen Brunson and Luka Doncic were taking the NBA world by storm. Together, they proved to be a dangerous match and went all the way to the Western Conference Finals before losing to the eventual champions.
Sadly, Brunson would leave that summer to join the Knicks, leaving the Mavs on their own until they finally acquired Kyrie Irving in February. But even Brunson admits that he thought the Mavs’ new duo would be better than they’ve been so far.
“I am surprised,” Brunson said. “I honestly have no comment about that, but it’s definitely surprising.”
Jalen Brunson is asked if he's surprised at how things have gone for the Mavericks this season:
"I am surprised. I honestly have no comment about that, but it's definitely surprising." pic.twitter.com/gTTZvBz7pM
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 4, 2023
Brunson isn’t alone. All across the league, people bet on the Mavericks to be better, and an 11th-place finish in the standings isn’t really what anybody had in mind. Yet, thanks to a lack of depth and a dependable supporting cast, the Mavericks are on the verge of missing the play-in tournament.
The Mavericks Made A Huge Mistake
Kyrie Irving is not the problem in Dallas, but the assets the team gave up to acquire him set them up to fail from the very start. Without key contributors like Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith, they don’t have enough size or perimeter defense to keep them alive.
Of course, they wouldn’t have had to make that move at all had they managed to re-sign Brunson.
“I loved my time in Dallas. I wanted to be in Dallas,” said Brunson. “I thought I was going to be in Dallas for a long time. I went to them before they officially offered it to me, and by the end, it was kind of too late. The business came knocking on the door. I had to do my due diligence and look, and see what was out there.”
There’s no going back to change things now, but it’s hard to say the Mavs wouldn’t change things if they had a chance to do it over again. Sadly, they have to live with their choices and watch quietly as their ex-player helps his new team make a run.
As for Luka Doncic, we already know that he’s been having trouble dealing with the losses. But if the Mavericks don’t get this man some more help soon, it could spell the beginning of the end for their partnership with the Slovenian superstar.
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