How does the injury to LeBron James impact the Dallas Mavericks?

Dallas Mavericks must focus on issues not standings after injury to LeBron James

The Mavs are still figuring things out after the blockbuster trade to land Kyrie Irving. Their defense has been a mess, and they are hoping the imminent return of Maxi Kleber will help in that area. The new superstar duo is still trying to figure out how to play together, especially late in games. Those things take time, and the Mavericks do not have much of it.

They have just 20 games left in the regular season. Yes, the standings are tightly-packed, but Dallas needs to focus on their own issues. The Mavs need to control what they can control.

LeBron’s injury allows them to do that more. There was a threat that the Mavericks would be the team in the lottery if the Lakers made a hard charge down the stretch. Without King James, Los Angeles is likely in the lottery with Dallas advancing to the postseason.

If the Mavs figure out how to maximize their superstar duo, no team will want to face them in the playoffs. They will be a dangerous team with the firepower to defeat anyone. Luka Doncic and company need to focus on maximizing themselves not what is happening around them in the Western Conference. Figuring things out on the court could also be massive for the team's most important offseason question.