6 Mavericks in the running for NBA Awards (and their chances of winning)

The Dallas Mavericks are 49-30 after last night's road victory over the Charlotte Hornets, and this team continues to stay hot as the season will come to a close shortly.

The Mavs are showing the world that they are serious contenders every single game, and no team in the Western Conference should want to see them. Getting hot at the end of the season matters, and that's why almost everyone is so high on the Mavs right now.

Their defense has improved significantly over the last two months, and fans should be excited about Dallas' chances of making a deep playoff run.

6 Mavericks in the running for NBA Awards (and their chances of winning)

While the team performance of his team has been excellent, there are several individual players who are up or should be up for awards at the end of this season.

Dallas has a handful of guys who could be up for various awards this season, and it'll be exciting to see who wins the awards.

Here are five Dallas Mavericks players who are in the running or should be in the running for end-of-season awards.

6. Kyrie Irving - Clutch Player of the Year

Kyrie Irving remains one of the best clutch players in the NBA in his 13th season, and he continues to show this on a nightly basis.

Although Irving doesn't lead the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring as he did last year, he still remains a top closer in the NBA and has a clutch gene that is hard to come by. This season in the fourth quarter, Irving is averaging 7.0 points while shooting 50.7 percent from the field, 42.3 percent from downtown, and 91.2 percent from the free-throw line. Irving takes his game to the next level when it matters most, and Dallas Mavericks fans saw that firsthand on Sunday afternoon.

Irving scored 25 of his 48 points in the fourth quarter and overtime combined on Sunday, and he willed the Mavs to victory. He has even shown that he is arguably a better closer than Luka Doncic, and that's saying something.

Irving's top play of the season was a game-winning left-handed floater to beat the Denver Nuggets, and if that play doesn't scream Clutch Player of the Year, I don't know what does.

When it comes to the clutch, Irving is elite. In the clutch, he is averaging 4.2 points, shooting 60 percent from the field, 42.1 percent from downtown, and 95.5 percent from the free-throw line. Irving always stays calm and collected as the clock winds down, and his ability to flip the switch at the end of games is unreal.

Irving is likely a longshot to win this awaard, but these stats show that he deserves to be in the conversation.

5. Derrick Jones Jr. - All-Defensive Team

Dallas Mavericks forward Derrick Jones Jr.'s individual stats may not show that he deserves to be on one of the NBA's All-Defensive Teams, but anyone who has watched a Mavs game this season should understand why he at least deserves to be in the conversation.

Jones Jr. is arguably having the best season of his career this year for the Mavs, and he has been a crucial part of the rotation all season long. He is averaging 8.7 points, 0.7 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game, and his individual defense on some of the best players in the NBA has been outstanding.

Jones Jr. has shut down Stephen Curry, Jalen Green, and Fred VanVleet, just to name a few, and his versatility to effectively guard one through four makes him an indispensable part of the rotation as the playoffs are quickly approaching.

All season long, Jones Jr. has played whatever role Jason Kidd has given him with no complaints, and he is all about winning. His selfless attitude, versatility, and individual effect on the Mavs' defense have gone unnoticed by most this season, but he definitely could surprise some people and earn a selection onto one of the All-Defensive Teams.

Ever since Kidd inserted Jones Jr. and Daniel Gafford into the starting lineup, the team has gone 15-2, and Jones Jr.'s overall effect on the team should be talked about more.

With the way the NBA does their NBA All-Defensive Teams, it'll be extremely hard for Jones Jr. to make it, but these points above show why he should.

4. Dereck Lively II - All-Rookie Team

Ever since the first game of the regular season, Dallas Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II has shined as both a starter and off the bench. In his first career game, he outshined Victor Wembanyama and has been a huge part of the Mavs' success this season.

This season, Lively II is averaging 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.7 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 74.7 percent from the field. He has been an elite pick-and-roll partner for Luka Doncic all season long, and he has proved that he deserves to be on one of the NBA's All-Rookie Teams.

Lively II deserves this because of his individual success, his team's success, and his team's success heavy reliance on him. During the first half of the season, the Mavs typically struggled tremendously on the glass and on defense in games that Lively II missed, and he was the third-most important player on the team behind Kyrie Irving and Doncic. He still remains a crucial part of what the Mavs do, but his injuries combined with the addition of Daniel Gafford have lessened his load as of late.

Lively II's injuries are likely the only thing holding him back from being on one of the NBA's All-Rookie Teams as he has only played in 55 games so far. His impact on the floor has undoubtedly shown that he deserves a spot on one of these teams, but it will be up to the voters to decide where he'll land.

Lively II has an outstanding shot of making an All-Rookie Team, and it'll be interesting to see how much the NBA takes his injuries into account.

3. Dwight Powell - Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award

All of the other awards on this list have to do with the player's performance on the floor, but Dallas Mavericks center Dwight Powell is up for an award that has nothing to do with how he has played this season.

Powell is up for the NBA's Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award, and this award "recognizes the player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and off-court leadership as a mentor and role model to other NBA players, and commitment and dedication to team." Jrue Holiday has won this award the past two seasons, but this year, Powell could be someone who snags this award for the first time.

This summer, Powell took a massive pay cut to remain on the Mavs, and all signs were pointing to him getting solid minutes in the rotation. He was no longer going to be the starting big due to the emergence of Dereck Lively II, but things were lining up for him to be the second-string big. Powell lost his job to a rookie, but he still remained a good teammate through it all, never complained, and was a huge encourager from the bench as the backup big.

After a few months, it was clear the Mavs needed more depth behind Lively II, so they traded for Daniel Gafford. This move moved Powell even further down the depth chart, and he still remained a great teammate through it all.

This season would have been a time that would have been easy for Powell to not be engaged and be frustrated with his role, but instead, he is always the first one to encourage his teammates and is always doing work in the community.

Powell is the longest-tenured Maverick by far, and no one deserves this award more than him.

2. Luka Doncic - MVP

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic is having a historic season, and he is deep in the hunt for the MVP award. It looks like it'll come down to Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Doncic is proving that he deserves this award as much as anyone.

Doncic is averaging 33.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from downtown. This has easily been the best season of Doncic's career, and his improvements as a shooter and defender have helped form him into the most dangerous player in the Western Conference.

It's going to be an uphill battle for Doncic to win the MVP this season, but he has shown that he deserves it. Winning 15 of the last 17 games during the most important time of the season can't be ignored, and Doncic is truly the most valuable player in the NBA when you look around the league.

The NBA's MVP race between Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jokic could go down to the wire, and Mavs fans will eagerly await the results. Jokic is the heavy favorite right now, but an unbelievable end of the season for Doncic could convince enough voters to vote for him.

Doncic has improved in all areas of the game, but an NBA Finals win is something that he is much more focused on.

Doncic will certainly be in the top three for this award, but Jokic looks to be far in the lead unless something changes soon.

1. P.J. Washington - All-Defensive Team

When the Dallas Mavericks traded for P.J. Washington at the trade deadline, fans didn't know exactly what to expect. Washington was having a solid season in Charlotte, but some fans were concerned that giving up a first-round pick in this deal was too much.

Washington has quickly proved that he was worth that first-round pick, and his impact on the defensive end has been huge. Washington is averaging 12.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 42.8 percent from the field and 32.5 percent from downtown.

Although Washington has had some struggles as a shooter, he has been much better lately. He hit several huge threes in Dallas' overtime win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday and has constantly been in the gym working on his craft.

While his shooting has been a big improvement lately, his play on the defensive end is what has made him so valuable for Dallas and that's why he should be in the running for one of the NBA's All-Defensive Teams. He guards multiple positions, rebounds at a high rate, and often defends the best player on the other team.

His role will be crucial in the playoffs, as he will likely be defending the best player on the floor. He has helped turn the Mavericks defense into an elite unit, and his performance on that end of the floor is enough for him to be considered for one of the NBA's All-Defensive Teams.

Averaging a steal and a block is impressive on its own, and everything else that he does that doesn't come up on the stat sheet is also impressive.

Washington likely won't be in the top of conversation for making one of these teams, but if you look closely, it's obvious that he should be.

For all the latest on P.J. Washington and the Dallas Mavericks for the last three regular season games and the postseason, stay tuned.