Mavericks desperately need Caleb Martin to fix glaring weakness before it's too late

The Dallas Mavericks struck gold when they won the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes almost a month ago in the NBA's Draft Lottery. With Flagg joining the Mavericks in a matter of weeks, it could mean a lot of change is coming to Dallas, and it may start with a major roster shakeup to get a guard to replace Kyrie Irving while he recovers from injury.

Not only will the Mavericks' roster see potentially a lot of change from now to the start of the season, but the time to fire Nico Harrison may be better than ever with this new era beginning soon.

With the Mavericks' roster looking very top-heavy from the starting unit, it may require some bench players to take on a bigger role while Irving remains sidelined. Caleb Martin has been a coveted wing around the league, but his career may be in jeopardy, and the Mavericks' season could hinge on whether he can become the shooter he once was a few years ago.

Mavericks' season could hinge on Caleb Martin rediscovering his jumper

As a member of the Miami Heat, Caleb Martin became one of the leading figures in their improbable run to the NBA Finals as an eighth seed three seasons ago. While Martin's career since then has been spent on much worse teams, his spell of luck hasn't been great, as injuries have plagued his post-Heat career.

Despite the numerous amounts of injuries that have derailed Martin's chances of becoming an impact role player, the Mavericks took a swing on the defensive-minded wing in this past year's trade deadline. The Mavericks not only gave up Quentin Grimes, who has become one of the best reserve guards in the league, but they also gave up an extremely valuable second-round pick in the deal to acquire Martin.

From the get-go, Martin's Maverick career was plagued from the start. He battled a hip injury that kept him out for some time while he was in Philadelphia and Dallas, and fans hated the fact that the Mavs gave up an emerging fan-favorite guard in the process.

Despite the negativity to begin Martin's Dallas career, he battled back from injury and became one of the team's best perimeter defenders off the bench. While Martin has been a disappointment in his 14 games played in Dallas, no stat was more frustrating than his 3-point percentage.

At 25 percent from behind the arc, Martin became a virtual no-show on the offensive end, especially when Irving got hurt. What's even more disappointing is that Martin looked hesitant and even scared at times to take a shot from behind the 3-point line, even though he was an assassin from downtown a few years ago.

While a lot of his hesitancy and bad-looking form could be traced back to his shoulder injury that he suffered at the midway mark of last season, Martin's shooting must improve if the Mavs believe he can be the player he once was. It's unclear if the Mavericks view the 29-year-old as a building block for next year's team, but as the roster is currently constructed, Martin is set to get a lot of minutes due to his elite perimeter defense.

Martin will likely be asked to come off the bench once again, but he can impact the game on the offensive end by becoming an elite shooter once again. There could be arguments made for Martin to be starting in certain scenarios if he can become a better shooter and be a good floor spacer alongside Dallas' bigs.

Harrison and the Mavericks will have their work cut out for them this offseason, but Martin's health and shot progression may quietly be one of the most important tasks in Dallas' long list of offseason duties.