How good can the Dallas Mavericks actually be in 2018-19?

The Dallas Mavericks have made some key roster moves this summer that will give the team a new look for the upcoming season. Will these roster moves amount to a better year or are the Mavs destined for another year of rebuilding?

It is hard to get a feel for exactly how the Dallas Mavericks will do this season, but most believe they have gotten substantially better. I really like this year’s team and think they will move up the Western Conference standings in the upcoming season. I am not sure about their playoff chances, but I am not counting anything out.

To get a feel for how things have changed from last year to this one, we would have to go through the different rosters. This isn’t particularly easy because this year’s roster isn’t finalized yet, but with a little guesswork we can put it all together and compare the two teams. Here is a breakdown of the key additions and subtractions from last season to this one.

Key Additions: DeAndre Jordan, Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson, Ray Spalding, Kostas Antetokounmpo, Ryan Broekhoff, Ding Yanyuhang

Key Subtractions: Doug McDermott, Seth Curry, Johnathan Motley, Nerlens Noel, Yogi Ferrell, Kyle Collinsworth

The two best players on this list are inarguably Jordan and Doncic. The fact that both of those players are additions and not subtractions makes a big difference in itself. After that, Doug McDermott and Seth Curry are disappointing losses, but are really nowhere near the players that DJ and Luka will be.

After that, Brunson, Spalding and Broekhoff are likely the next tier with each of them having some playmaking ability and likely all to be in the Mavs rotation. Nerlens Noel and Yogi Ferrell are probably right around the same level, but only one of those guys will actually be missed by Dallas and the fans.

The rest of the guys will probably not make a huge impact one way or another. Both Motley and Collinsworth started with the team as two-way contracts and both Kostas and Ding are the new two-way players. These guys can be entertaining, but none of them are game changers in any way.

To try and quantify these new additions, Luka Doncic and DeAndre Jordan will likely replace Dirk Nowitzki and the rotational starter for the Mavs. Each of these are a step up (basing it on Dirk’s current output). This alone could likely push the Mavs to an additional 10-15 wins. That could easily bring the Mavs into the top 10 in the West.

The rest of the team kind of pushes from last year, but if one or two of those guys become regular rotation players, the team could add another win or two. If Dallas won 45 games this year, I would not be surprised. I don’t know that that would be enough to get the team into the playoffs, but the fact is that this team should be way more fun to watch than last year.

I am excited for this season, just like every other Mavs fan. If we are patient and give this team a little time to grow together, it could be an awesome year for the Dallas Mavericks. Let’s go Mavs!