Dallas Mavericks: 5 reasons for optimism after a slow start

Why Dallas Mavericks fans should be optimistic: 3. Depth and clutch

The Mavs are one of the deepest teams in the league. Tim Hardaway Jr. is coming off the bench and looking dynamic as the sixth man. Over the last six games, he averages 18.3 points and is shooting the lights out.

Jalen Brunson is the backup point guard. They also have Trey Burke, James Johnson, Dwight Powell, and Willie Cauley-Stein coming off the bench. Trill and Powell both deserve minutes, but coach Rick Carlisle is forced to pick between the two on a nightly basis. Going further, Boban Marjanovic and Wesley Iwundu are outside the nightly rotation but can provide a boost in spot minutes.

The Mavs could use another wing off the bench, but they have depth in the backcourt and frontcourt. Both could be key in surviving an untimely injury.

The Mavericks were awful in close games last season. They won just 17 of 41 as classified by NBA Stats and were 25th in the field goal percentage in those situations. Dallas has worked it to .500 as they sit 11th in field goal percentage. Luka Doncic is trusting teammates, and the Mavs are knocking down clutch shots. The ball movement is significantly better.

The Dallas Mavericks can rely on their depth and improvements in the clutch to win games. That is a massive lift that should have fans optimistic about them making a run this season.

Next: No. 2