A Guide to the 2022 Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks kick off the 2021–2022 season on Thursday at State Farm Arena against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Mavs enter this season coming off a laborious first-round series loss against the Los Angeles Clippers and amid heightened expectations from a fan base that hasn’t seen a Mavericks playoff series victory since the 2011 NBA championship.
Before the regular season tips off, here’s a look at some of the major questions and new additions that will define the Mavs’ 2022 season.
Can Luka and KP coexist?
Arguably the most pressing question for this Mavs season is the relationship between Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. The duo’s nonexistent off court friendship and subtle animosity on it spurred rumors of a possible Porzingis trade this offseason.
New coach Jason Kidd has lauded Porzingis for his work this offseason and has quashed any reported tension between Doncic and Porzingis, calling it “fake news.”
Both Kidd and Mavs’ owner Mark Cuban have hyped up Porzingis’ prospects this season, with Cuban telling Sports Illustrated that “he’s coming in with something to prove.”
Lineups with both Doncic and Porzingis on the floor have typically excelled offensively while being abhorrent defensively. That’s reflected in last season’s point differential with both Porzingis and Doncic on the court (-1.6), which was the third worst on the team, according to Basketball Reference.
The relationship between Doncic and Porzingis reigns as a crucial one for the Mavs this season.
Who’s the secondary ball handler?
One area the Mavs failed to address this offseason was the role of a secondary ball handler to ease the burden on Doncic.
Doncic had the highest usage percentage in the regular season (36%) and playoffs (40.4%) last year, and the Mavs would be wise to lower his usage number this season in order to preserve Doncic’s health over what the team hopes will be a sustained playoff run.
Jalen Brunson is a solid backup point guard who averaged 12.6 PPG and 3.5 APG last season while finishing fourth in the Sixth Man of the Year voting. However, the 6-foot-1 Brunson’s size proved to be a detriment in the Mavs’ first round loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, and his minutes dropped from 25.0 in the regular season to 16.3 in the postseason.
Brunson and Tim Hardaway Jr. are worthy shot creators for the regular season, but the Mavs must find a permanent answer for the postseason if they don’t want a repeat of last year’s first-round loss.
Can Jason Kidd change his coaching ways?
The hiring of Kidd as coach of the Mavs came with criticism both from a strategic and morale standpoint.
Kidd plead guilty to spousal abuse in 2001 and was also arrested on a DUI charge in 2012.
Kidd’s previous head coaching experience included a disastrous one-season stint for the Brooklyn Nets and a roughly three-and-a-half-year stint with the Milwaukee Bucks, amassing a regular season record of 183–190 and a playoff record of 9–15.
Strategically, Kidd employed a blitzing style of defense with the Bucks that helped lead to his demise. At the time Kidd was fired as Bucks coach in the 2018 season, the Bucks were 26th in the league in points allowed per 100 possessions (111.3).
Kidd’s hard-nosed coaching style was highlighted in the book, “Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP.” Some of the revelations in the book included a three-hour practice on Christmas Eve that rankled Bucks’ players and his treatment of former Bucks center Larry Sanders.
This will be Kidd’s third and potentially last chance as an NBA head coach. The Mavs must hope that he’s learned from some of his past mistakes.
The New Additions
Reggie Bullock
Bullock, who was drafted in the first round by the Clippers in 2013, had a career year with the New York Knicks last season. The 6-foot-6 forward started 64 games with the Knicks and shot 41% from three-point range on high volume while also regularly guarding the opponents’ best perimeter player. Bullock should serve a prominent role off the bench for the Mavs and will be an upgrade over Josh Richardson, who the Mavs traded to the Boston Celtics after he disappointed last season.
Moses Brown
Brown, a 22-year-old, 7-foot-2 center, came to the Mavs in the aforementioned Richardson deal. He showed his potential with the Oklahoma City Thunder last season by notching a 20-point, 20-rebound game. The former UCLA Bruin gives the Mavs a promising young big man who’s shown the ability to rebound at a high level and operate as a pick-and-roll finisher.
Sterling Brown
The Mavs also brought in the versatile Sterling Brown on a two-year deal worth $6 million, hoping he can play a 3-and-D role off the bench. The 6-foot-5 Brown spent his first three seasons playing a reserve role with the Bucks before joining the Houston Rockets last season. Brown played a more pronounced role with the Rockets and shot a career high 42% from the three-point line while also showing the ability to be a switchable wing defender.
Frank Ntilikina
Ntilikina, who was drafted one spot ahead of Dennis Smith Jr. in the 2017 NBA Draft, comes to the Mavs hoping to carve out a role as a defensive stopper at the guard position. The 6-foot-4 Ntilikina has always profiled as a strong defender but could never find a consistent role in his four seasons with the New York Knicks. Still just 23, Ntilikina offers the Mavs some upside as a perimeter defender.
Outlook
The 2022 Dallas Mavericks have a wide range of potential outcomes.
Although the team failed to make a splashy free agent signing or trade, it can be argued that the roster is incrementally better with the new additions and the expected internal improvement of some of the young players.
It can also be argued that the Mavs didn’t do enough to surround Doncic with a championship-contending roster and compounded that by hiring a coach with a controversial past.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Mavs finish as top-four team in the Western Conference with real championship aspirations. It also wouldn’t be terribly surprising if they ended up in the bundle of teams vying for a spot in the play-in tournament.
The variance of outcomes makes this season a must-watch for Mavs fans.