Roundtable: Who is This Year’s Mavs X-Factor?

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Apr 18, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Dallas Mavericks center Salah Mejri (50) and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban celebrate after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 85-84 in game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

“The obvious answer is Dirk depending on if he continues to defy time, but I’m going with Salah Mejri, the Tunisian Tower of Terror. He stepped up in a big way last year especially in playoff time. I picked him because our back line defense is going to be very important this year, and when Bogut sits or misses time we are going to need similar defensive production from his replacement. Salah is tough, blocks shots at an excellent rate, rebounds and runs the floor well. He also showed flashes of a basic post up game in the playoffs. He’s like Rudy Gobert Lite, and if he continues to improve this year he will be our X-Factor.”

–Shawn James

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