Dallas Mavericks: How the Mavs fill in for Dwight Powell in first 2 games

Dallas Mavericks center Dwight Powell was ruled out for the team’s first two regular season games. Here is how the team covers for him.

The Dallas Mavericks kick off the 2019-2020 season against the Washington Wizards on Oct. 23. Fans are excited about that matchup and the year. Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis are at the center of it all. The young star duo is beginning to build something special.

Mavericks supporters got a bit of bad news on Tuesday. Projected starting center Dwight Powell was ruled out for the team’s first two games. Fans can hear Coach Carlisle’s comments on his recovery below.

That means Powell will be out on Wednesday against the Wizards and Friday in New Orleans. He will likely be brought back slowly in his first few games of action too. Stay tuned for Saturday’s update.

With Powell out, how do Coach Carlisle and the Mavs fill his role? Let us take a look.

Kleber starts

Powell’s hamstring injury forces Maxi Kleber into the starting five. The 6’11 German will be needed to play 30-plus minutes each game.

He brings the Mavericks additional defense. Kleber cannot replace Powell’s rim running ability, though. Dallas will run more pick and rolls with Porzingis during the first two games.

More minutes for others

Kleber will take on a larger role, but he is not the only one. Expect Dorian Finney-Smith, Justin Jackson, and Boban Marjanovic to play additional minutes while Powell is out.

Coach Carlisle will want to play the matchups in the second unit. The Wizards will give Moritz Wagner run as their backup center. He could choose to use Marjanovic to dominate him in the paint or a more perimeter-oriented option to defend against his shooting.

The Mavericks face the Pelicans on Friday. They will use Nicolo Melli as their backup five. Marjanovic will be limited in that matchup. Expect Dallas to counter with more run for Finney-Smith and Jackson.

The Mavs will miss Dwight Powell. His energy and rim running ability are difficult to replace. Hopefully, he gets fully healthy and returns on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Smoking Cuban will continue providing updates on Powell’s health plus more analysis like this all season long, so Dallas Mavericks supporters should check back with us often to never miss an article.