Dallas Mavericks roundtable: How will the Mavs do this season?

The Dallas Mavericks season is underway, so The Smoking Cuban staff decided to put together a little roundtable with awards for Mavs players if the big end of season awards were team specific.

The Dallas Mavericks are 1-0 and the team looked really special in the first game. There are a lot of important pieces to this Mavs team and we didn’t even get to see all of them in action against the Washington Wizards.

Which Mavs player is going to be the most valuable? The best defensive player? The most improved? Find out what The Smoking Cuban staff thinks below.

Mavs Most Valuable Player

Luka Doncic

“Luka Doncic is the face of the Mavs. Even after the addition of Kristaps Porzingis, the Mavericks are clearly building entirely around their young phenom. The addition of Delon Wright provides some perimeter defense that Doncic might not give as well. But Doncic is the team’s true successor to Dirk Nowitzki.” –Evan Siegel

“I don’t think there is any debate to this, but Luka “Magic” Doncic will be the Mavs MVP. He was already averaging 21 points, 6 assists, and 7 rebounds as a rookie. Imagine that in his sophomore year, and with Kristaps Porzingis by his side. I think that he will regress in boards per game, but improve everywhere else and finish with 23 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists, and shoot 45% from the field. He’s got all star caliber talent and he’ll only be getting better from here on out.” –Arsal Hussain

“Do not expect a sophomore slump for the Slovenian sensation. Yes, teams will have more tape on him, but Doncic might quite literally have the highest basketball IQ of any 2nd year player ever. Doncic will up his averages across the board. His partnership with new addition Kristaps Porzingis will be a match made in heaven from day one. Doncic will take the next step this year from breathtaking rookie to devastating superstar.” –Sean Bush

“Doncic isn’t going to hit a sophomore slump. He’s in better shape than he was last season and has new players around him that will make his skillset even stronger. He’s without a doubt the face and leader on this team and will continue to show it on the court.” –Charles Allen

“Despite the seismic splash following the trade for Kristaps Porzingis, it’s evident Dallas still touts Luka Doncic as the cornerstone player of the franchise. However, the complementary play-style will benefit both of the European studs, as we see the on-court chemistry is already blossoming. I think Doncic ends the season with the highest usage percentage. The ball is still in no. 77’s hands in late-game situations regardless if Porzingis is on the court or not. Last season, Doncic was close to an All-Star berth, this time around, however, he will get All-Star-honors.” –Lance Roberson

“The answer is Luka Doncic. I love Kristaps and what he brings to this team and I actually think Dwight Powell deserves third on this list, but if this award was actually voted on, Luka would win unanimously and no one would think twice about it. The young Slovenian can just flat out play ball.” –Kohl Rast

Kristaps Porzingis

“Kristaps Porzingis gave us an abundance of things to be optimistic about in his short preseason debut against the Detroit Pistons. He appeared to be even better than the Porzingis I remember watching with the New York Knicks. His jumper looked flawless and the stroke was more beautiful than ever before. The Latvian power forward is (insert clichés) bigger, stronger, and faster than before and showed the ability to put the ball on the floor and score. The only 7-footer that I remember seeing do this effectively and consistently is *tears* Dirk Nowitzki. Porzingis seemingly improved based off the small sample size we have, and it is not a stretch to prematurely deem him the team MVP for the 2019-2020 season.” –Josh Gamel