After their victory against the Nuggets on Monday, the Dallas Mavericks now sit at 9-4 on the season, which is good enough for the third-best record in the West.
And while nobody is sure what this team is truly capable of, ESPN’s Zach Lowe provided his take on the team, offering a rather interesting perspective on their performance so far:
“Dallas is, to me, maybe the most interesting team in the entire league. They’re starting to tiptoe to playing Porzingis more as the five with guards and shooters around Luka and I’ve said for years that’s their path to being the best version of themselves. I watch this team almost every game because there’s a team in there somewhere that, if they can find it, is a threat to make the Finals.”
"Dallas is, to me, maybe the most interesting team in the entire league. … There's a team in there somewhere that, if they can find it, is a threat to make the Finals."
—@ZachLowe_NBA pic.twitter.com/5pELFACOYN
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 15, 2021
Certainly, the Mavericks seem to be at their best when Porzingis is at the five, and it seems head coach Jason Kidd is starting to understand that.
Most importantly, though, is Dallas’ defense, which is actually ranked ahead of their offense right now.
“The biggest thing is the defensive side of the ball. We’ve got to pay a little bit more attention to detail. Understand we all have one goal, and that’s to win a championship. And we’ve got to get stops. The last time we won a championship here, we did get stops.”
Porzingis will really have to step up if the Mavericks want to continue their uprising. Over the past few years, the star big man has struggled to stay healthy, and it has drawn more than a few questions about his future.
So far this season, he has stayed mostly healthy, with averages of 17.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game on 42% shooting. If he can blossom into the star he believes he can be, it could go a long way in maximizing his team’s potential.
We’ll see soon enough if he’s got it in him.
