The Dallas Mavericks finally obliterated what held Luka Doncic back for years

Over the first five years of the Luka Doncic era, the Dallas Mavericks dealt with one reoccurring problem that they couldn't seem to properly handle.

Despite Doncic being one of the best players in the NBA for each of his first five seasons and making four All-NBA First Teams, Dallas couldn't take the next step and reach the NBA Finals. They made the Western Conference Finals in Doncic's fourth season, but that took a gutsy seven-game series win over the No. 1 seeded Phoenix Suns and they were later dismantled by the Golden State Warriors in five games.

Doncic was mostly left out to dry over his first five years when it came to the Mavs putting the right pieces around him and putting together a deep team, and Nico Harrison has put an end to that over the last two years.

Depth is no longer the Mavericks' biggest weakness

Dallas arguably has built their deepest roster of all time this season, and Harrison has been a huge part of that. He has helped obliterate the biggest issue of the Doncic era, and the future is looking bright in Big D.

Harrison started this spiral of outstanding moves to put the right pieces around Doncic at the 2023 trade deadline when he traded for Kyrie Irving to give Doncic a much-needed co-star. This move didn't pan out right away considering that the Mavs missed the playoffs in his first season with the team, but the move is looking like an absolute steal now as Doncic and Irving are one of the best duos in the NBA.

Harrison then drafted Dereck Lively II that summer and traded for P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford at the trade deadline, and these moves couldn't have worked out any better. Dallas ended up making the NBA Finals and going on a wild end-of-year run after making these moves, and Gafford and Washington gave the Mavs the defense and energy they needed to officially become elite contenders.

He followed up Dallas' historical trip to the NBA Finals by making some pivotal moves such as signing Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall, and the Mavs' depth has been their biggest strength this season. They no longer have to worry about if anyone outside of Doncic is going to step up, as players like Washington, Marshall, Thompson, Irving, Quentin Grimes, and even Spencer Dinwiddie can put up big scoring nights at any moment. Doncic has the support that he needs to win a championship right now, and they will be in a prime position to make a strong playoff push once he returns from his left calf strain.

It doesn't look like depth will be an issue any time soon for the Mavs, and their depth could improve even more ahead of the trade deadline. Dallas is interested in improving their frontcourt, and a move to upgrade their backup power forward spot is the exact trade they need to make their bench even stronger.