Dallas Mavericks have the horses to make the postseason

After struggling for a couple of years, the Dallas Mavericks brought in several key contributors this offseason giving them the talent to make the playoffs.

In one offseason the Dallas Mavericks managed to bring in Luka Doncic, DeAndre Jordan, Devin Harris, and Jalen Brunson. That’s a pretty good haul to come away with after winning just 24 games last season.

It didn’t come cheap, though. Moving up two spots to secure Doncic at number three overall cost the Mavericks a future first round pick, and signing Deandre Jordan as an unrestricted free agent cost over $22 million.

Starting five

The Mavs are positioned to make themselves one of the surprise teams in the NBA. The starting lineup looks pretty interesting:

Dennis Smith Jr.

Wesley Matthews

Luka Doncic

Harrison Barnes

Deandre Jordan

What is noticeable is the absence of Dirk Nowitzki, who will likely come off the bench this season in order to make room for Doncic. Matthews makes the most sense as the player to replace him in the lineup, considering his skill set does not agree with a bench role. The Mavericks will need Matthews to check the opposition’s best scorer.

Dennis Smith Jr. and Luka Doncic are among the most interesting young combos in the NBA. Doncic can play up to four positions thanks to his handle and rare size at 6’8. As the most accomplished European player to ever be drafted into the NBA, the Euroleague MVP was just 19 years old when he hit the ground running.

With Harrison Barnes and DeAndre Jordan manning the front line, rebounding, defense, and pick and rolls will be a new-found strength in Dallas. It is easy to forget that Jordan is still among the five best centers in the NBA, and combined with the youth that the Mavericks have, he should make things much easier for Rick Carlisle.

In addition to what is an intriguing starting five, the bench looks like it could cause some problems for opponents. Not only could Dirk Nowitzki be the league’s sixth man of the year, but J.J. Barea, Devin Harris, Jalen Brunson, and Dorian Finney-Smith make up what could be a deceptively deep unit.

Rick Carlisle is known to make the most of situations that aren’t ideal personnel-wise, but for the first time in a while, the Mavs finally have the horses to compete in the Western Conference again.  While there will be some growing pains for both Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr., the veterans the Mavericks have will make things easier for the youngsters.