Playoffs expose fatal Mavericks flaw Nico Harrison can't afford to ignore

The Dallas Mavericks' 2024-25 season ended almost two weeks ago with a loss in the Play-In Tournament to the Memphis Grizzlies, and the chatter surrounding the team and its disastrous Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis swap is finally starting to die down, as there has been no significant Mavericks news for the past several days.

The only thing Mavericks fans are watching right now is Doncic in the NBA Playoffs, as he and the Los Angeles Lakers trail the Minnesota Timberwolves 3-1 despite entering the series as favorites. Doncic remains confident that the Lakers have a chance to come back and win the series despite all odds being stacked against them, reminding fans just how special he is.

As Mavericks fans know well, Doncic believes in himself and his teammates until he can't anymore, and that same mindset has carried over into his days with the Lakers. You can never count out Doncic in the playoffs, and Mavericks fans will likely always be wishing that he was leading their squad until the day he retires.

When observing the Lakers-Wolves series as well as other series around the NBA, one major change is happening in front of our eyes, and it's exposing an issue within the Mavericks roster that must be addressed this summer.

Mavericks have to find a way to get deeper ASAP

Having the best player in a playoff series is no longer as important as it once was. In years past, the team with the best player in the series oftentimes won that said series. Star power used to mean everything in the playoffs, and while it remains extremely important, it is no longer the most important thing.

Depth is one of the most crucial parts of grinding out wins in the playoffs, and the deeper teams have been taking care of business in many of this year's series rather than the team with the best player.

Take a look at the Lakers-Wolves and Bucks-Pacers series as examples. Despite the Lakers and Bucks having the best players in their respective series with Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, it hasn't led to series wins. The Lakers are one game away from elimination, and the Bucks lost their series against the Pacers 4-1.

Harrison and the Mavs truly have to look at themselves in the mirror this offseason when it comes to the construction of their team, and Nico Harrison has to find a way to get more depth around Kyrie Irving and Davis. They can't do it all on their own, and that's exactly what we saw in the play-in loss to Memphis.

Davis finished with 40 points even when battling several injuries that he seemed to suffer throughout the game, and the Mavericks' role players disappeared at the worst time. P.J. Washington and Dereck Lively II each finished with zero points, and no one could keep Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey off the glass. Live-ball turnovers also killed the Mavericks, as the Grizzlies came out firing in this game and took control of it right away, consequently ending the Mavs' season and making them have to answer some hard questions heading into the offseason.

Guard depth will likely end up being a major focus of Harrison's this summer, as the team has to find a way to replace Irving's production until he returns from his ACL tear, and they must add more shooting as well. Toward the end of the season, Dallas' 3-pointers made per game were way down, and you can't expect to win in today's NBA without having shooters all over the floor.

Their frontcourt depth remains strong, as Davis, Lively II, Daniel Gafford, and Washington can all hold their own, but Dallas' offensive shortcomings have to be fixed as soon as possible. Dallas must find two-way players who can create their own shot and operate in the pick and roll, as we saw Lively II's production freefall after Doncic was traded.

Despite having limited spending opportunities, especially with Dallas likely re-signing Irving, they have to find a way to become one of the deepest teams in the West to have any chance at making a deep playoff run and fulfilling Harrison's vision.