Best and worst-case scenarios for Mavericks bench next season

Worse case scenario for Mavericks bench

A lack of defensive depth has been the team's lone issue. Dallas improved their offensive game with the addition of Seth Curry. However, the team traded away a top wing defender in Reggie Bullock.

Right now, the team is full of guards and bigs, but lacks in the wing position. Jaden Hardy and Tim Hardaway Jr. could possibly play the wing spot but neither is great on the defensive end.

Last season, the team had the sixth-worst defensive rating in the league. They ranked 27th in defensive rebounds, 28th in blocks, 29th in steals, and 18th in opponent points in the paint.

The team's two best defensive players off the bench are Dereck Lively II, who is a rookie, and Dante Exum, who has been out of the league for two years. Besides those two, the only other defensive player is Maxi Kleber.

As I mentioned earlier, he struggled to replicate his defensive statistics from the 2021-2022 season. That year, he answered the call for Dallas giving the team valuable minutes in the playoffs. In 2021, he had a defensive rating of 107.3. A season later, that all changed, as his defensive rating went up to 117.8. It is hard to imagine he drastically improves.

Starting-wise, the team has the defensive intangibles to improve. With the addition of Grant Williams and Richaun Holmes, the team is expected to be better on the defensive end. However, Dallas could struggle to find that same improvement on the bench.

Last season, the team's best defensive players off the bench consisted of Josh Green and Frank Ntilikina. This will change, of course, as Green could be inserted into the starting lineup, and Ntilikina is gone.

Relying on a rookie and a player who has been out for some time is going to be tough. Dallas may need to find a wing defender to go along with the rest of the bench.