I have one young superstar It’s every franchise’s dream NBA, at least among those who aspire to win. But giving and gathering the necessary pieces to elevate the team to the championship is not an easy task. Some organizations are well aware of what this means, and have not even gone through it Conference Semifinals in a bit. even though the success in this championship it is something relevant, his engine continues to be victory and the desire to achieve the ring.
The Dallas Mavericks they have been pursuing this goal ever since Luka Doncic breaking out with a triple-double pace in his debut year. A generational talent with an unknown ceiling and who season after season has proven to be someone capable of anything on a field.
The Playoffs 2022 They marked an unimaginable peak for a Mavs two wins away from the Finals with a very limited squad. A milestone resulting from the defensive improvement, the high level of Luka and, of course, the Jalen Brunson explosion.
Losing your second-best player is always a blow to a young team, but it becomes harder to swallow when the franchise gets nothing in return for his departure. Dallas couldn’t renew Branson and their movements within out of season they have not helped to fill his void.
Indeed, the Mavericks have bolstered their inside game with two bigs like Christian Wood and JaVale McGee, they have recovered Tim Hardaway Y Facundo Campazzo He arrives wanting to contribute from the bank. But none of that is enough on paper to give confidence that Jason Kidd’s team can even match what they have done in the past. One wonders if he will indeed be among the top six in the West.
It’s time to analyze what choices I have Luka Doncic and Dallas Mavericks to get out of the way before the loss of Jalen Brunson this 2022-2023 season.
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The crossroads of Luka Doncic
During last season Luka Doncic’s offensive usage percentage (Usage%) was 37.4%, the highest in the NBA, which marked his second straight year atop the league in that regard and his third above 36%.
In all of history, there has only been one other player capable of making three straight drives higher than 36%: James Harden, from 2018 to 2020. A precedent that speaks volumes for the Slovenian’s showing during the Regular Phase , but whose playoff results weren’t the most encouraging after that statistical peak.
Doncic is a unique player, capable of single-handedly changing the fate of a game, building a team of limited potential and improving everyone around him. But all this until now has necessarily come from the hand of a great consumption of the ball, as a creator or as a scorer. Although Jason Kidd has added more dynamism to the offense, the options to finish a possession are almost always the same and end with #77 making the decision.
The former Real Madrid remained last season to 4.3% of the all-time offensive usage record determined by Russell Westbrook in 2017 (41.7%) and everything shows that in this he could finish very close or even surpass it.
In fact, the trend shows that this season it will increase the volume of your efforts after the pot in favor of those coming after a pass:
| Time | Field goal after a pass | % success | % on total shots |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-2020 | 66 out of 143 | 46.2% | 11.8% |
| 2020-2021 | 61 of 146 | 41.8% | 10.9% |
| 2021-2022 | 56 out of 125 | 44.8% | 8.9% |
What do all these numbers mean? In short, what if the Dallas Mavericks finish in the Playoffs or Play-In region accumulated fatigue and fatigue of Luka Doncic until then they can doom the Texans to defeat. And that would be a huge step backwards in project development.
The offensive alternatives on the Mavs
The departure of Jalen Brunson has left a void in which not only will more trust be needed Luka Doncicalso absence of alternatives in the minutes that the Slovenian rests.
The player called upon to step up this season will be Spencer Dinwiddie, who perfectly suited the role of sixth man upon his arrival. Now, the experienced base should carry a greater degree of responsibility, both creatively and decisively. As long as he shares the field he will be the support of Lukas and while he rests he must carry it gallonsit is not easy to realize in the West.
In the 23 regular season games he played with the Mavs he averaged 10.6 goals in 28.3 minutes on average, most as a substitute. In this class he will be the starter if nothing changes and it wouldn’t be surprising if he returns to numbers closer to those offered in 2019-2020, where he started 16 attempts per night with 41.5% efficiency.
The second big alternative is a “signature” in some way, Tim Hardaway Jr., who missed almost all of last season and will now return. The problem with the shooting guard is that he’s at his best when he’s basically limited to being an offensive enforcer, because the higher the liability, the lower the performance. case similar to Christian Wood, that it should be a downgrade for Doncic in the half court, but that it’s hard to see him as a second sword in the way the Mavs are set up.
Transcription, the only solution?
NBA seasons are very long and anything can happen, but all GMs always have their eyes on the transfer market. Nick Harrison He showed in his first season in charge the guts to push the button and make risky moves by turning Kristaps Porzingis into Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans, as well as several Christian Wood amateurs.
Now the Mavs manager ballot is more complicated. The team needs a secondary manager or small forward to bolster the primary outside line. The problem is twofold. They don’t have enough attractive assets to trade up nor are there many names called upon to fill that role that significantly improve the team.
The transfer hunt is still the best way to improve for the Mavericks, but their options are limited by who has the most options to leave: Bertans, Hardaway and Powell.
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the NBA or its organizations.
