6 Biggest X-factors for Dallas Mavericks heading into Finals

June basketball is the part of the year that every NBA fan lives for, and Dallas Mavericks fans are lucky enough to have their team on the biggest stage as they'll battle the Boston Celtics in the 2024 NBA Finals beginning on Thursday.

Dallas is fresh off a Game 5 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves late last week, and now they'll have the chance to prove all the doubters wrong once and for all.

This Mavs team has been special for months, and they got hot at the perfect time, helping lead them all the way to the NBA Finals.

6 Biggest X-factors for Dallas Mavericks heading into Finals

This series has plenty of drama-filled storylines heading into it, including the Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis "beef," Kyrie Irving's return to Boston, and Porzingis' return to Dallas.

This is going to be an action-packed series, and it has the potential to be a seven-game series that goes down to the wire. Dallas does have the stronger bench, and they'll need all their role players to step up.

Here are the Dallas Mavericks' five biggest X-factors heading into the 2024 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.

6. Jaden Hardy

Dallas Mavericks second-year guard Jaden Hardy had an up-and-down season this year, but his play during the playoffs has been exceptional. He exploded during the Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves and passed both Dante Exum and Tim Hardaway Jr. in the rotation.

Hardy's play off the bench has been exceptional, and it has helped make up for the struggles of Exum and Hardaway Jr. Both Exum and Hardaway Jr. have nearly been unplayable, and Hardy is proving that he can be a part of Dallas' young core for years to come.

His ability to score in bunches, knock down threes off the catch, attack the rim, and be a secondary playmaker has been exceptional, and his growth as a playmaker has forced Jason Kidd's hand into playing him.

He is no longer just a guard who is always looking to score. Hardy is always a threat to throw a precise lob to Dallas' bigs, and they'll need him to play solid minutes against the Boston Celtics bench.

The Celtics have an energizing guard off the bench of their own in Payton Pritchard, and Hardy making the most of his minutes will be crucial.

5. Maxi Kleber

The Dallas Mavericks suffered a massive blow in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs when Maxi Kleber suffered a shoulder injury in Game 6 against the LA Clippers. Kleber fully dislocated the AC joint in his right shoulder, and at the time, there was fear he could miss the entire playoffs.

This came at an awful time considering how well he was playing in that series, but the Mavs got him back when they needed him most. Kleber returned to the lineup during the middle of the Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and now he'll be needed against the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics have elite shooting bigs, and if the Mavs go small, Kleber will be utilized often. Kristaps Pozingis is one of the most unique shooting bigs in the NBA, and I could see Kleber spending plenty of time defending him.

Kleber's shooting and defense will be his calling cards in this series, and if he can perform anywhere close to like he did against the Clippers, the Mavs will be in good shape. Against LA, Kleber averaged 5.7 points per game while shooting 55.6 percent from downtown. His biggest game came in Game 5 when he scored 15 points on 5-7 shooting from 3-point range.

Kleber's defensive versatility will be needed in this series, and this time off could help him get used to shooting threes again.

4. Dereck Lively II

Dallas Mavericks rookie big man Dereck Lively II has been amazing in his first playoffs, and now he'll face his biggest test yet against the Boston Celtics. Lively II has had many tests through the first three rounds of the playoffs as he's faced Ivica Zubac, Chet Holmgren, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Rudy Gobert, and now he'll face two more elite big men.

The Celtics' bigs, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, both stretch the floor, and Lively II will be prepared to guard both of them when needed. Lively II has grown a ton as a defender in space this season, and playing against Holmgren in the second round will help prepare him for this matchup.

The last time Dallas played Boston, threes from their bigs killed the Mavs. Horford and Porzingis were bombing threes in that game, and Lively II has to be sound when moving his feet on the perimeter.

Lively II is averaging 8.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game in these playoffs, and his play on both ends of the floor could make or break this series. He will likely continue to be a big difference-maker in the pick and roll due to his screen setting and lob-catching ability, and he will have his work cut out for him.

Guarding Horford and possibly Porzingis won't be an easy task, but Lively II is cut for the challenge and has shown why he deserved to be on the All-Rookie First Team. He has been great all playoffs long, and he continues to exceed everyone's expectations.

3. P.J. Washington

The sight of P.J. Washington developing into the Dallas Mavericks' third star during their second-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder was a sight for sore eyes for Mavs fans, and he has become a fan favorite during these playoffs due to his tenacity and his mentality of "standing on business."

"Standing on business" is what Washington called the stare-down pose he did at the LA Clippers bench, and he has backed up his big talk all playoffs long. Washington is averaging 13.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, and 0.9 steals per game during the playoffs while shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from downtown.

He has been everything that the Mavs have needed out of him and more, and his play in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics could be what separates the Mavs from winning or losing this series.

Washington's 3-point shooting has been crucial for the Mavs in these playoffs, and when he hits four or more threes, the Mavs are 4-1. He is always going to get open looks considering how much he plays combined with the fact that Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving command so much attention, and it'll be up to him to bury his open looks.

Washington backs down from nobody, and his fearless mentality will help fuel the Mavs as they try to grab their second NBA Championship.

2. Derrick Jones Jr.

Derrick Jones Jr.'s story with the Dallas Mavericks has been inspiring to all this season, and he enters the last stretch of the season with a chip on his shoulder and more to prove. Jones Jr. chose the Mavs over the Boston Celtics in free agency last summer, and this decision has worked wonders for his player development.

Jones Jr. has become the starting wing next to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in Dallas, and his defense and 3-point shooting off the catch have been essential for the Mavs throughout the playoffs. He has forced teams to defend him closely on the perimeter, and if they don't, he makes them pay by knocking down open threes.

Just like P.J. Washington, Jones Jr. is someone who backs down from no one and "fears no man." Jones Jr. isn't afraid to stick up for his teammates, and when his back is against the wall, he always responds. Mavs fans saw Jones Jr. get into multiple altercations with Rudy Gobert during the Western Conference Finals, and he showed no fear even when Gobert was trying to pull some questionable antics.

Jones Jr.'s 2024 NBA Finals could have huge implications on his unrestricted free agency this summer, and he is going to be a coveted free agent for teams who are looking for a 3-and-D wing. It has been reported that Jones Jr. wants to stay in Dallas, and it definitely seems like he wants to, but the number has to be right for both sides.

Jones Jr. is going to have the assignment of defending either Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, and his effectiveness in these matchups will be pivotal in this series.

1. Daniel Gafford

Dallas Mavericks starting center Daniel Gafford has been inconsistent in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, but one thing is for sure.

Gafford is going to protect the rim with all he has, and the Mavs' game plan of forcing opposing teams to the rim and forcing them to finish over Gafford and Dereck Lively II has massively worked in Dallas' favor.

Having two big bodies down low has formed an elite one-two punch at center in Dallas, and now Gafford will be tested in a big way against the Boston Celtics' centers. Both Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford space the floor, and Gafford will have to prove that he can stick with them or his time on the floor in this series could be limited.

Boston's five-out offense is going to test the Mavs, and Gafford has to be prepared for this. In these playoffs, Gafford is averaging 9.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 61.4 percent from the field, and these next games will be the biggest games of his life.

Gafford has been excellent as a lob catcher in the pick and roll with Luka Doncic, but his decision-making out of the pick and roll has been suspect at times. His struggles in this area may just be magnified since Lively II is elite in this area, but Gafford must be able to make the right decision at key parts of the game.

Whether that entails him firing a pass to an open shooter on the perimeter or taking a dribble or two and finishing strong at the rim, Gafford is going to be tested by Boston in this area, especially if they're double-teaming Doncic and Kyrie Irving at the top of the key.

For all the latest on Daniel Gafford and the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2024 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, stay tuned.