5 things Dallas Mavericks fans learned from 2022 media day

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The Dallas Mavericks started the 2022-2023 season with media day on Sept. 25. Head coach Jason Kidd and the players took pictures and gave their first interviews of the season before the work starts on Tuesday with their first practice. The Mavs are fresh off a run to the conference finals, and they are looking to build towards another deep playoff run.

Fans got to hear from Luka Doncic for the first time since his shocking loss in the EuroBasket quarterfinals with the Slovenian National Team. It was a long summer of basketball for Doncic, but the 23-year-old is eager to get back on the court. Coach Kidd said Luka will do light work at the start of training camp, but fans should expect Doncic to play in the preseason and be a full-go for the regular season opener on Oct. 19 against the Phoenix Suns.

There was plenty to learn from media day 2022, including updates on Tim Hardaway Jr’s health, who is in the starting five, and so much more. Fans can listen to all the media day interviews on the team’s YouTube page, but here are the top five takeaways.

Dallas Mavericks are going to miss Jalen Brunson

Brunson left the Mavs in free agency as he decided to sign with the New York Knicks to be their lead ball-handler. The 6’1 guard was a success story in Dallas as he went from second-round pick to the second-leading scorer on the team. Brunson averaged over 21 points per game in the playoff, and he continues to get better.

His departure was a talking point in almost every interview, and it was clear that the team will miss Brunson this season. Dorian Finney-Smith had the quote of the day when he said this.

"Phew, you see how much money they gave him? I would have been mad if he would have stayed here."

Coach Kidd mentioned Frank Ntilikina and Josh Green as the players to step up and fill that third ball-handling role, and Finney-Smith is also expected to do a bit more creating this season. Dallas will have to do it by committee, but the entire team will miss Brunson this season.

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