Improvements The Dallas Mavericks Need To Make In A Critical Off-Season

Instead of making a run at the play-in tournament, the Dallas Mavericks threw in the towel, tanking the final two games to end their disappointing season. The team finished below .500 for the first time since 2018-19 with a 38-44 record.

Through 82 games, Dallas never recaptured the spirit of last season, when the team unexpectedly marched to the Western Conference Finals. Now, the Mavericks have some time to lick their wounds, reflect and assess their needs as the franchise enters a crucial off-season.

“It was over a couple of days ago,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said. “It is what it is. In the sense of our record, we came up short — didn’t make the play-in or the playoffs. We’ll look at that this summer to see how we can get better.”

Kidd pointed to inconsistent defense effort being a significant concern. The Mavericks saw their defensive rating drop from 115.5 before the All-Star break to 118.4 after it. They finished the season with a 116.1 defensive rating, which ranked twenty-fifth.

“This summer, we gotta get better defensively,” Kidd said. “Length could help, but we gotta rebound the ball. That was one of the biggest things I thought. Even last year, we struggled to rebound the ball at times. So, that’s just
just
something that we gotta look at.”

Point guard Luka Doncic led the team in rebounding with 8.6 per game. Christian Wood, who came off the bench and played limited minutes, grabbed 7.3 rebounds. Dwight Powell, the team’s starting center, only pulled down 4.1 rebounds per contest.

Overall, the Mavericks ranked second to last with a rebounding percentage of 46.1, and they were dead last with an average of 38.8 rebounds per game. Needless to say, last summer’s acquisition of center JaVale McGee, who quickly fell out of the rotation, didn’t help alleviate the rebounding woes.

The team’s struggles led general manager Nico Harrison to make a bold trade to acquire All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving in the hopes of righting the ship. Despite Irving’s skill and offensive prowess — he led the league in fourth-quarter scoring — his addition did little to address the issues plaguing the team.

“It’s tough no matter what the change is,” Josh Green said about the trade. “It can affect rhythm — it can help rhythm. There’s just so many factors in it all. But at the end of the day, it’s just part of the game. Some teams are able to adjust to it early. Some other teams, it takes longer. … So, it’s unfortunate that things didn’t go our way, but that’s just how the game is.”

Irving becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, giving the Mavericks something else to address in the off-season. Despite his rocky addition and questionable pairing with Doncic, Dallas’ Slovenian star hopes the team re-signs him.

“Yeah, I wish we can continue that chemistry [and] relationship,” Doncic said. “It’s not going to happen in a day, in a week. So, it’s a building process, but I would like to.”

Finishing below .500 and out of the playoffs was embarrassing and unacceptable for a team with an MVP-caliber talent and two All-Stars after making a deep postseason run last season. However, it’s not the end of the world as long as it serves as a wake-up call for the team’s brass.

The deficiencies they need to tackle are straightforward. Dallas must bring in players who can play both sides of the ball, impact the defense and clean the glass.

With six open roster spots, approximately $26 million in cap space and a top-10 first-round draft pick this summer, the Mavericks can address some, if not all, of their needs. It’s not enough for Dallas to run it back for next year and hope for the best; the team has to make dramatic improvements.

“I mean, some things gotta change, you know?” Doncic said. “Last year, when we went to the Western Conference Finals, we were having fun. You know, the chemistry — I always talk about the chemistry we had — it was great. But some things gotta change for sure.”