A Dallas Mavericks awards ceremony to preview the season

If the Dallas Mavericks had to fill all the NBA awards with their own players, who would win what award? Some would be easy to predict but others, not so much.

The NBA awards ceremony at the end of every season is not always the most exciting storyline, but it is a fun event to highlight some spectacular players at their best. Sadly, the Dallas Mavericks have been left out of most of these awards shows for the last several years. What would happen if the Mavs swept all the awards?

The awards given are as follows: Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, 6th Man of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

DPOY

This is a tough one, but I am going to go with DeAndre Jordan, thanks to his ability to clog up the middle and block shots. Wesley Matthews and Harrison Barnes might have a case, but the big man that hopes to bring some Tyson Chandler flair back to Dallas earns the nod in this one.

DeAndre had a down season last year by most accounts and he is hoping to use this one to bounce back into a better idea of what he is capable of. His shot blocking will be the difference maker to the team.

6th Man of the Year

This one is still speculation, but I think Dirk is going to be coming off the bench for Dallas and will earn his spot as the 6th man for the team. He can still knock down shots with the best of them and his scoring ability is rivaled by very few in NBA history.

Others who could earn this award include J.J. Barea, Dwight Powell, or even Jalen Brunson. Any of these three guys could earn significant minutes off the bench, but none will have the impact that Dirk will likely have.

Most Improved Player

My pick for this one has to go to Dennis Smith Jr. who is ready for a breakout year. DSJ did some great things in his rookie year but he has a chance to be spectacular this year with some of the focus coming off of him. I expect a big jump in his production.

Others who could make a case for this reward are maybe Dwight Powell or Harrison Barnes, but both of them would need a big jump in play and I don’t see that happening from either of them. Dennis Smith Jr. is the best for the job and could compete for the award across the NBA.

Rookie of the Year

As if this isn’t obvious, Luka Doncic is not only going to be the rookie of the year for the Mavs, he should compete for the full award at the end of the season. Doncic is one of the favorites to win the award and anyone who has seen his highlights from overseas understands that it is a very real possibility for him.

Jalen Brunson could have a shot at the award if something happens to Luka, but I don’t expect him to even be in the same conversation. Even still, I am hoping for a nice season from Brunson and think he will be a solid addition to the team.

Most Valuable Player

The MVP of the team could go to a couple different guys, but for me, Harrison Barnes will still be the key to the offense in the upcoming season. Barnes has been the focus of the team for two years and I think this may be his last year of that before DSJ and Luka fully take over. I know a lot of people won’t agree with me here, but I like one more year of HB at the helm.

Luka and Dennis Smith Jr. both have a case for being the team’s likely MVP this coming season, but I want to give them one year to meld together before we can really hope for top level play from both. Just one year and the Mavs could have a team that others start to fear.

These are my picks for the NBA/Mavericks awards in the upcoming season. I think we can all agree that the Mavs are ready for a great season and some of these players will be able to compete across the entire league for their awards.