3 Dallas Mavericks players who have improved since the season started

The Dallas Mavericks have reaped the benefits of some players getting better as the season has gone on, and through 17 games a few players are playing dramatically different than they were last season, and even since the start of this season in a few instances.

The comfortability between Mavericks players on the court is only increasing from the perspective of knowing teammates' tendencies, being in the right place at the right time, and trusting each other within the Mavericks' defensive scheme.

3 Dallas Mavericks players who have improved since the season started

This newfound sense of comfortability can be seen across the board in Dallas, as Mavericks forward Derrick Jones Jr. had this to say after being tasked with coming off the bench instead of starting in Dallas' 121-115 victory over the Houston Rockets.

"For me, there's no adjustment. There's no difference. I go out there and do my job. Whenever my number is called, I go out there and do my job. That's it. It goes back to just the trust and the chemistry I have with the guys. From when I first got in here, he (Coach Jason Kidd) told me to play my game and be who I am."

Derrick Jones Jr.

The Mavericks are becoming more comfortable with one another and are improving marginally on a game-by-game basis, but here are the three Mavericks players who have improved since the season started.

3. Kyrie Irving

Despite some poor shooting performances from the field at the earliest juncture of the season, Kyrie Irving has undoubtedly proven to be a great superstar to pair with Luka Doncic this season for the Dallas Mavericks. Irving has been affecting the game within many facets this season, as he’s grown more savvy with age in other aspects of his game such as defense and rebounding.

Early on in the preseason, Irving wanted to take steps as a leader and wanted to bolster the chemistry between Dallas’ roster. Irving has become a basketball savant through 13 professional seasons, so perhaps we can attribute his early-season shooting woes to the fact that he was focusing on more ancillary things such as team camaraderie.

Irving’s overall process on offense looked fine early on, but shots have been falling for him at a much-improved rate through the last 10 games for Dallas. In his last 10 contests, Irving is averaging 26.5 points per game, 4.8 assists per game, and 4.4 rebounds per game. Even more impressive is that Irving has done all of this on an obscene 48/44/90 shooting split, a feat that is extremely impressive given the degree of difficulty that most of his shots are.

Irving may have had a rough start to the season shooting the ball, but he’s looked comfortable in late-game situations and direct actions with Luka Doncic all year so far. Jason Kidd even went on a rant recently regarding the national media not spinning enough positive headlines about Doncic and Irving’s fit, and he's starting to turn the tide in terms of the national perception of Doncic and Irving as a duo.

Nonetheless, Irving has found his groove shooting-wise in the last 10 to 12 games or so, so fans should have nothing to worry about as he and Doncic continue to do everything they can to get this Mavericks team over the hump.

2. Richaun Holmes

After some rough preseason bouts and a few DNPs to start the season, it was largely assumed that Richaun Holmes would be one of Dallas’ biggest candidates to get traded on the roster. However, amidst an injury to Maxi Kleber and Dereck Lively II (for one game), Holmes has surged into Dallas’ rotation.

Holmes has only played meaningful minutes in the Mavericks' last three contests, and he’s playing his role well even if his counting stats won’t wow anyone. Holmes seems like a far-fetch of a player from the dynamic roll-cut big he was in Sacramento a few seasons ago, but he’s still stepped up for Dallas in some key moments when given the opportunity.

At the end of the game versus the Lakers, Holmes had the game-saving steal in the waning moments of the game and also finished with 10 rebounds against a lengthy Lakers team. Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd shed light on his thoughts about Holmes’ performance versus Los Angeles after the game.

"We talked about that in the locker room, I thought [Holmes] played great for us on both ends, both offensively and defensively. Again, we were going with him instead of [Powell] tonight, and I thought he responded in a positive way. He helped, he really helped us win this game tonight."

Jason Kidd

Holmes clocked just 13 minutes in the Mavericks win over the Rockets the other night, but he assumed most of the backup center minutes over Dwight Powell in Lively II’s return from injury. Holmes has been a stout defender for Dallas, but his lack of length hurts him from being a great rim protector in the traditional sense.

Holmes has proven to be one of the newer most improved Mavericks so far this season, but only time will tell if he’s able to maintain his position on Dallas’ depth chart. Given the way he’s playing right now though, perhaps Holmes could force Dallas to make an uncomfortable decision with one of their other backup big men.

1. Dante Exum

Whilst he may have not had a prominent role through the first few games of the season, Dante Exum has proved to be an invaluable rotation piece for the Mavericks after spending last year in Europe. Exum didn’t clock a double-digit minute total through the first seven games of the season for Dallas, but things have changed dramatically for him in the last nine games that he’s played.

Exum has clocked nine or more minutes in each of his last nine contests, and his shooting 52 percent from the field through that stretch as well. Exum is in a precarious position on this Mavericks roster because of the number of guards Dallas has, but he’s warranting some consistent time from head coach Jason Kidd because of his defensive capabilities.

Exum has proved to be a disruptor at the point-of-attack for Dallas on defense, and he’s done a good job at pushing the pace on the other end. Exum has been excellent in transition opportunities for Dallas this season, and his tertiary playmaking has been needed in Dallas’ second unit.

Exum has admittedly struggled shooting the three-ball this year, but he still has time to turn things around in that department if he commands more playing time. In the Mavericks' most recent game versus the Houston Rockets, Exum had 12 points on three of four shooting from the field, and he even canned a 3-pointer.

Exum’s defense is bound to be a stabilizing force for Dallas off the bench, but if Dallas makes any moves this season Exum may have to be prepared to take on a bigger role. Nonetheless, Exum is most certainly turning the page in Dallas as far as his NBA career goes and he has improved steadily since the season started.

Dallas next plays tonight versus Memphis, so stay tuned as we’ll have you covered.