10 Most surprising Dallas Mavericks stats of the early season

3. Mavericks' low free-throw percentage

First in the league in 3-point percentage, yet 21st in the league in free-throw percentage? Now that's an abnormality. The Mavs are one of three teams in the top 10 in 3-point shooting percentage to shoot below 76 percent from the free-throw line.

The other two teams? The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Houston Rockets. Neither team is likely to remain in the top 10 of 3-point accuracy as Houston ranked dead-last a year ago, and Minnesota came in at 13th.

As for the Mavericks, they'll likely remain in the top 10 in 3-point shooting throughout the season. The same can't be said for free-throw shooting.

Dallas' free-throw percentage has trended downward since the 2019-20 season. Every season thereafter, the Mavs have ranked lower than the season prior. Dallas has gone from a middling squad to a bottom-third team when it comes to freebies.

Upon examining the team's player statistics, it's apparent why the Mavericks are below-average from the line. At this early juncture, Dallas is the only team in the NBA with less than three players shooting above 80 percent from the charity stripe.

It doesn't help that the player who attempts the most free throws on the team shoots less than 80 percent. This season, Doncic is shooting 78.6 percent from the free-throw line, slightly above the team average.

However, this is Doncic's best free-throw percentage of his career. The Dallas 75.1 percent clip from the line is weighed down by the rest of the team. Of all 13 players to attempt a free throw, eight are shooting 70 percent or less.