Dallas Mavericks: 3 Things to Watch vs. Charlotte

By Isaac Harris

Oct 3, 2016

Nov 5, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) drives to the basket past Dallas Mavericks guard J.J. Barea (5) during the second half at the American Airlines Center. The Hornets defeat the Mavericks 108-94. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

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Oct 1, 2016; Bossier City, LA, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Seth Curry (30) reacts to a made 3-point basket against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at CenturyLink Center. New Orleans won 116-102. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports /

The Dallas Mavericks host the Charlotte Hornets in their preseason opener on Monday night. Here are three things to watch for.

After an eventful offseason, the re-tooled Dallas Mavericks have set their sights on the playoffs once again in one of Dirk Nowitzki‘s last few years in the league.

Dallas began their journey in Bossier City, Louisiana on Saturday as the Mavericks lost to the New Orleans Pelicans after many of their veterans took the night off. Justin Anderson led the way for the young Mavs as Nicolas Brussino followed behind.

For Dallas, a lot of the main spots in the rotation are set going into the season. It’s the backend of the roster that has the coaching staff up at night as they figure out who should round out the roster.

With Head Coach Rick Carlisle saying that seven players are fighting for two roster spots, the preseason gives Dallas a chance to give these young guys heavy minutes to show they are worthy of a roster spot.

Dirk Nowitzki, Deron Williams, Salah Mejri, Andrew Bogut, Wesley Matthews, and Devin Harris all didn’t play on Saturday against the Pelicans. I would expect most, if not all, of these guys to sit out on Monday night against the Hornets.

With that being said, here are three things to watch for on Monday night.

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