Dallas Mavericks: Similarities and differences to the Mavs and Knicks

The New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks are similar in that both teams have a young core and sit at a 2-6 record.

Where: Dallas, Texas. American Airlines Center.

When: Friday, November 2, 7:00 pm central time.

Similarities

Tonight, we see two struggling teams with high aspirations. Besides the underwhelming start to the season, there are other parallels between the two franchises.

The New York Knicks are without its star player Kristaps Porzingis (knee) for likely the rest of the season. In addition to KP’s injury, summer league sensation Kevin Knox won’t suit up tonight due to a grade 2 ankle sprain. Veteran role player Courtney Lee (neck) is also out for tonight’s contest at the AAC.

Dallas is no stranger to players missing games because of injuries. The Mavs’ starting power forward Harrison Barnes (hamstring) missed the first four games, while the team is still waiting for Dirk Nowitzki (ankle) to get the green light for his first game of the season. The Mavericks’ bench has enough guards to go around, but that doesn’t mean Devin Harris’ (hamstring) absence won’t be felt tonight.

As mentioned earlier, the two franchises envision grand success in the years to come. The Knicks are yearning for a Kevin Durant signing meanwhile the Mavs aren’t counting themselves out of the big fish free agency in 2019. Despite the combined 4-12 record between the two, positivity surrounds them.

The 2017 draft class will forever connect Dallas and New York. For it was the night the Knicks front office decided it was better for its franchise to go with German native Frank Ntilikina. Dallas followed suit by drafting NC. State point guard Dennis Smith Jr. Although in the same breathe, Dallas was reportedly linked to Ntilikina leading up to the draft.

In year two of the Dennis Smith Jr experience, one could say Dallas made the “right” choice. However, in fairness to Frank, they are on opposite sides of the basketball spectrum. In one hand, you have DSJ, the explosively athletic player, in the other, Ntilikina, a defense focused, off-ball player.

Impartial or not, the connection will always be made.

Teams with a young core typically don’t take care of the ball. New York and Dallas are staying true to the mold. Per basketball-reference.com, Dallas turns the ball over 16 times a game, 25th in the league, while the Knicks are just over mediocrity losing the ball 13 a game, which is just ok enough to finish 12th in the league.

Rebounding is where the Mavs and Knicks intersect by a hair. DeAndre Jordan is the glaring rebound leader in Dallas at 14.9 per game, with the nearest player being Luka Doncic, coming down with 6.2 boards per contest. With such a high degree of separation, it’s not surprising Dallas is near the middle of the league at 16th place.

NBA social media warrior Enes Kanter, being the Knicks rebounding specialist at 11 a contest. No other player on the team averages more than six rebounds a game. The 19th place in the league sounds like a fitting spot for such low numbers.