5 roster upgrades the Dallas Mavericks must make this offseason

3. Size

The Mavs were undersized before trading for Kyrie Irving, but it got worse when they moved two players with positional size and got back a 6’2 guard that struggles on the defensive end of the floor. Dallas had just one seven-footer on their roster. They had four players at 6’10, and Luka Doncic was the only other player over 6’6.

The Mavs were small all over the floor, and it contributed to Dallas grabbing the fewest rebounds this season. They pulled in 3,181 and finished 141 rebounds behind the 29th-ranked team. The Mavericks grabbed 1.7 fewer rebounds per game than the next-worst team.

Some will blame the team’s slow pace, but Dallas was last in rebound percentage and the numbers got worse after the Kyrie trade. From Feb. 8 to the end of the regular season, the Mavs grabbed just 46.5 percent of the available rebounds, which was 0.6 percent lower than their season-long output. 

The Mavs cannot be dominated on the glass again. They must add some size at every position. Getting a couple of 6’6 or bigger wings and a 6’5-plus guard would do wonders for Dallas. It would help them match up and even give them a size edge on some nights. The Dallas Mavericks also need a new starter at the position where size matters most.