What the Dallas Mavericks Need to Learn from this Postseason

The Dallas Mavericks are on the outside looking in as this postseason continues on. The Mavs have a lot they can learn from this year’s playoffs, however.

The first round of the 2018 playoffs is nearing its completion, and several teams have already established themselves as the toughest competition in their conference. The Dallas Mavericks failed to reach the playoffs by quite a margin, and have an important offseason ahead to try and right the ship.

Several of the teams left in the field have every reason to believe that they can challenge the Warriors and Rockets for a championship. When looking at the Western Conference, the top-seeded Rockets have themselves a transcendent talent in James Harden.

Daryl Morey and the Rockets then managed to pair Harden with Chris Paul in the backcourt while supplementing their roster with Clint Capela, P.J. Tucker, Trevor Ariza, and others. The Mavericks, on the other hand, would have been comfortable jumping into a season with the aging Chris Paul as their top option and the rest of the complementary Rockets as their remaining pieces.

The Pelicans, fresh off their sweep of the Portland Trailblazers, have an equally transcendent player in Anthony Davis. The Pelicans understood their situation in the Western Conference, realizing that they were one of the few teams in the entire league that possessed a player that could match the talent of James Harden, Kevin Durant, Lebron James, and Giannis Antentokounmpo.

Upon making this realization, they traded for Demarcus Cousins, re-signed Jrue Holiday, and brought in Rajon Rondo to provide a balanced dose of top-end talent, defense, and playoff experience.

The Spurs, while strangely not having him available on the court for almost the entire season, have Kawhi Leonard. Gregg Popovich’s greatness alone got his hobbled team into the playoffs, but it is clear that with a healthy Leonard, the Spurs could have threatened for a championship. In today’s NBA, teams must have at least one of the top 5-7 players in the league to truly make a legitimate run at a championship.

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In the east, the 76ers are on everybody’s mind. While Toronto and Cleveland still figure to narrowly be the favorites to come out of the conference, the 76ers are far and away the most well put together for years to come.

Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid could become one of the greatest duos in NBA history, and combined with young thoroughbreds like Dario Saric, T.J. McConnell, and Markelle Fultz, the 76ers will be a force in the east for years to come.

The Mavericks are not in any kind of position to assume that they could compete for a title in the near future. Harrison Barnes will never be more than a complimentary forward who can get semi-hot from the field. The team’s only long-term prospect is Dennis Smith Jr., who indeed has Russell Westbrook-type athleticism and is still just twenty years of age.

The Nerlens Noel experiment blew up in the Mavs’ face, leaving the team with Smith as their only long-term commodity. The Mavs will be in a position to add another high draft pick in this year’s draft, but it is clear that the Mavs shouldn’t be pursuing any of the league’s top players via free agency or trade for several years.

Several reports listed the Mavs as suitors for free agent-to-be-Aaron Gordon, which instantly suggests the Mavs have a flawed plan in place. Signing Aaron Gordon would only give the Mavs an athletic, limited scorer who would never become a cornerstone for the franchise. The Mavs need to collect as many lottery balls as possible and position themselves to be as deep, young, and talented as a team like the 76ers.

Next: The Dallas Mavericks Offseason Fork in the Road

Ben Simmons will be an MVP candidate within the next two years. Joel Embiid is already becoming one of the league’s best centers, if he isn’t already its best. The Mavs should forget about trying to merely reach the playoffs again, and should swallow a few more miserable seasons in order to get themselves in a winning position again.