A Glimpse Into the Dallas Mavericks Future

By Sam Casey

Nov 2, 2016

Jan 20, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) watches his team take on the Minnesota Timberwolves during the second half at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeat the Timberwolves 106-94. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

2 of 4

Oct 19, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Houston Rockets forward Montrezl Harrell (5) shoots as Dallas Mavericks center Andrew Bogut (6) and forward Harrison Barnes (left) defend during the second half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

The Post-Dirk Mavs Will Be a Stout Defensive Team

The 2016-17 Rockets are very talented offensively. Led by sleeper MVP candidate James Harden and a multitude of long range specialists, they can run up the score in a hurry. In their first outing they scored 114 points with James Harden providing 34 points and 17 assists on nearly 50% shooting.

However, in the two contests with the Mavs they were far less effective. Houston averaged 99.5 points in their two outing vs Dallas. Led by defensive star Wesley Matthews, the Mavericks played very tough defense against a ver capable offensive team. While in Game 3 Houston’s Harden had 28 points and 7 assists, Matthews played some stifling late game defense and held him to 35% shooting and forced him to turn the ball over 8 times.

While Andrew Bogut may or may not stick around in Dallas, the Mavs have two very stout defenders in Wesley Matthews and Harrison Barnes locked down for a number of years. These two alone make Dallas a force to be reckoned with defensively. Add in some young defensive studs like Justin Anderson, Salah Mejri and Quincy Acy, and the Mavs look like they have a bright future on the defensive side of the ball.

Next: Barnes and Matthews Will Need to Play a Big Role