4 Improvements the Mavericks need to make in order to make the playoffs

If you are a diehard Dallas Mavericks fan like I am, you are probably disappointed that they failed to make the postseason last year. With the talent that the Mavericks had after the trade deadline, they should have been able to at least make the Play-In Tournament.

There were a lot of factors that went into the Mavericks missing the postseason last year. Some of those factors had to do with players.

4 Improvements the Mavericks need to make in order to make the playoffs

Luka Doncic's decision-making with the ball is one of those factors. Doncic left a lot of teammates wide-open for makeable shots last season, and it drove fans crazy. It was the difference in winning some very close games that had playoff implications near the end of the season.

Another thing that went wrong for the Mavericks last season was their defensive play. Their inability to grab rebounds and score off of turnovers cost them a spot in the postseason. They were the worst rebounding team last season. The Mavericks made some moves during the offseason that should take care of both of those problems this upcoming season.

The last thing that really went wrong was Jason Kidd's playcalling. A lot of teams knew what kind of play he was drawing up for Doncic or Kyrie Irving and were ready for him.

He also did a terrible job of killing his opponent's momentum by calling timeouts at the wrong times. Let's take a look at each of these four breaks that the Mavericks need this season in order to make the playoffs again this season.

4. Rebounding

The Mavericks were one of the worst rebounding teams in the league last season. That was something that Nico Harrison worked on during the offseason. If the Mavericks want to get back into the playoffsm they need to be able to get rebounds and get the secondary points off of offensive boards.

Dallas didn't really have a true center starting for them last year as Dwight Powell played that position. JaVale McGee was not a huge help last season in this category, either, as opposing players were able to box him out and keep him away from the rim.

During this offseason, the Mavericks definitely got some rebounders through the NBA Draft and during some Trades.

One of those rebounders was acquired through a trade with the Sacramento Kings - Richaun Holmes. Hopefully, Jason Kidd is smart enough to start Holmes this upcoming season. He is a true center and can man the boards at a level the Mavericks are not used to.

They also got Grant Williams from the Boston Celtics and drafted Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper.

If the Mavericks can command the boards next season, I think they have a good shot to make the playoffs. Getting rebounds is crucial in today's game, as it can have a direct impact on winning. With the players the Mavericks got this offseason, they should see improvement in this category.

3. Defense

The Dallas Mavericks need to be a lot better on defense as well this season.

They were the 25th-ranked defense in the league last season. With some of the offseason acquisitions that the Mavericks made this offseason, the Mavericks hope that the defense can return to the version that got them to the Western Conference Finals.

Grant Williams and Richaun Holmes should help provide some defense in the starting lineup this year. Both of them are quality defensive players.

In addition, Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Dereck Lively II will provide some defense for the second team this year. Both rookies have huge wingspans, which will help them snag steals, blocks, and rebounds. There will be no more allowing the other team to go coast-to-coast for easy layups and three-pointers.

Dallas also needs to improve their fastbreak play, as they were an extremely slow-paced team last year, and a big part of that was their defensive struggles. Teams that can dominate the scoring numbers off turnovers go on to win a majority of basketball games.

When I was in college watching Abilene Christian's Men's Basketball team, they were good at forcing turnovers and scoring on the other end. It's why they were so successful and went on to upset the University of Texas in the first round of March Madness in 2021.

If the Mavericks are able to get a break on defense this year, it should help them get to the playoffs this season.

2. Luka Doncic's decision-making with the ball

For those who watched last season, it was clear that Luka Doncic had some issues determining when to pass and when to drive to the basket. There were some crucial games that the Mavericks could have won last season if Doncic made better decisions with the ball.

Re-signing Kyrie Irving was one of the biggest moves the Mavericks made this summer. Irving is a point guard with elite ball-handling skills. This is something the Mavericks have been looking for in a point guard for a long time.

However, it seems as though Doncic had a hard time giving the ball up to him last season after the trade deadline because they were still working on their chemistry on the court.

Jason Kidd has to sit down with both of them and decide who will be the point guard next season. I really hope Kidd persuades Doncic to turn into a shooting guard and allow Irving to move the ball up the court in order to get Luka open for easy buckets.

I think this is the only way that the Mavericks can make this relationship between Doncic and Irving work. If Doncic can't give up control of the ball, the Mavericks could be in for a very long season.

Luka has got to realize that his decision-making with the ball has the Mavericks in this situation right now. He can't score 50-plus points and carry this team to the playoffs. He has to realize that distributing the ball will be the best chance that the Mavericks have to get back to the postseason if they want to win a title.

1. Jason Kidd's coaching

The last change the Dallas Mavericks need to make in order to get back to the postseason is Jason Kidd's coaching style. Kidd did a fantastic job coaching in his first year in Dallas by getting to the Western Conference Finals before falling to the Golden State Warriors. After losing to the Warriors, the Mavericks lost some assistant coaches.

One of the biggest pet peeves that I have of Kidd is his ability to call timeouts at the right time. There were a couple of times that their opponent would go on a 12-0 run and retake the lead before Kidd called timeout. I know he was trying to save timeouts for when the Mavericks really needed them, but sometimes you got to burn one to stop the other teams' momentum and regroup.

The other thing that also drove me crazy was Kidd's playcalling at the end of the game. He has got to draw up plays for other players on the team if they want to be more creative at the end of games this upcoming season.

Opponents automatically know to double-team Luka Doncic or Kyrie Irving in the final seconds of the game. They know Kidd is going to draw up a play for both of them. Setting up another player for the final basket is something Kidd should work on this season.

If the Mavericks improve upon the four things that I just mentioned, they will get back into the playoffs next season.

And with all the changes they made to the roster this summer, I have no doubt the Mavericks will improve, and we will have some postseason basketball in Dallas next April.