Dallas Mavericks: Resetting the depth chart following the draft

Dallas Mavericks depth chart following the draft: Center

Injured: Kristaps Porzingis

Porzingis is recovering from a meniscus repair. He had the surgery in October and will miss the beginning of the season. Tim MacMahon reported the Mavs are hoping he is cleared in January. Expect the team to bring him back slowly because he will miss all of training camp.

It will be interesting to see if the Mavericks play Porzingis primarily at the four or the five too. His numbers improved significantly after shifting to being the lone big man in most lineups. It is something to keep an eye on when the Unicorn gets healthy.

Starter: Dwight Powell

Powell has recovered from his Achilles tear and is on track to be a full go in training camp. The 29-year-old should immediately be inserted back into the starting five, but the team could cautious with his minutes early on. Do not be surprised to see him rested on occasion too.

Powell explosiveness, athleticism, and jumper will be things to watch coming off a torn Achilles. Let us hope he is back to 100 percent at the start of the season, but there are no guarantees.

Backup: Boban Marjanovic

Bobi will be a matchups option again this season. Fans know he can dominate the paint and make life difficult on the opposition. Expect Marjanovic to win the Mavericks a few games next season, but he will not be part of the nightly rotation. When he comes in, Boban will be a difference-maker, though.

Kleber will fill some minutes at the five until Kristaps Porzingis is back in the lineup. The Mavericks would be wise to add another creator and a frontcourt option to round out their roster in free agency. Stay tuned to see how it all shakes out.