Dallas Mavericks predicted to finish where in GM Survey?

The Dallas Mavericks enter the 2021-2022 season with eyes on winning the championship. They have a superstar in Luka Doncic but have failed to advance past the first round of the playoffs since winning the championship in 2011. Can the Mavs get over the hump this year?

They made significant leadership changes this offseason. Both GM Donnie Nelson and head coach Rick Carlisle left the organization and were replaced by Nico Harrison and Jason Kidd respectively. The Mavericks added a few role players to their roster and are hoping those pieces plus Kidd taking over as head coach can push them into title contention.

The NBA dropped its annual GM survey on Oct. 5, and this year’s version was not so high on the Mavs chances. Let us take a closer look at where they had Dallas ranked.

Dallas Mavericks land 7th in Western Conference by GM survey

The GMs voted on their top four in each conference, and six teams received votes to finish in the top three in the West, but Dallas was not one of them. The Mavs got 21 percent of the votes to end the regular season fourth, which was the second-highest behind only the Denver Nuggets. Using the formula, the Mavericks finished seventh in the Western Conference behind the Lakers, Jazz, Suns, Nuggets, Warriors, and Clippers.

It was a slight disrespect after Dallas was fifth last season, despite dealing with injuries and health and safety protocols. If the Mavs finish seventh, they will have to advance to the playoffs through the play-in tournament, which every team is attempting to avoid.

Luka Doncic was all over this year’s GM survey, and the Mavs showed up three other places. They earned votes for the most improved team but failed to crack the top five. Dallas was also rated as the fifth most fun team to watch, and Jason Kidd finished third in the biggest impact a new head coach will have on their team.

The GMs are not high on the Dallas Mavericks but do not count them out. Luka Doncic is one of the best players in the world, and the Mavs supporting cast should be improved this season. Will it be enough to push them into title contention? Stay tuned to find out.