Dallas Mavericks all over the map in power ranking entering 2022-23 regular season

The Dallas Mavericks were in the Western Conference Finals just five months ago, and superstar Luka Doncic has his sights set on a championship this season. The 23-year-old enters the season as the favorite to win MVP, and Dallas has quickly slipped under the radar.

Few are predicting the Mavs to get back to the conference finals as they are an afterthought among most experts. It is easy to sight the departure of Jalen Brunson as a reason Dallas will take a step back, but they improved their frontcourt and depth this offseason. Will the Mavericks be better this season? Time will tell.

The Mavs are all over the board in the weekly power rankings entering the regular season. It speaks to the parody across the NBA and the questions around Dallas. Here is a look at where the Mavericks landed.

Dallas Mavericks are all over the map in power ranking entering 2022-23 regular season

The Athletic (subscription required) had the Mavs the highest at tenth. Dallas was 13th in NBA.com’s first set, and they landed 16th in the CBS version.

Having Dallas 16th is disrespectful. The Mavericks were in the top four last season, and zero games have been played since Golden State won the championship. To have the Mavericks behind the Pelicans, Raptors, Cavaliers, and Timberwolves seems wrong. Three of those teams have a star returning from injury or freshly acquired via trade, but the group has won zero playoff series in the last two years. Dallas won two last season.

The Mavs should be floating just inside the top ten in my opinion. The Warriors and Celtics were just in the NBA Finals. Philadelphia and Milwaukee are bonafide contenders in the Eastern Conference. The Clippers and Nuggets both have stars returning from injury. Dallas should be in the next group with the Heat, Suns, Nets, and Grizzlies. I’d put the Mavs at the top after their postseason run, but to each their own.

Will the Dallas Mavericks quickly vault into the top five or slip back a bit with a slow start? The regular season for Dallas begins on Wednesday night in Phoenix with a playoff rematch that fans won’t want to miss, so be sure to tune in and enjoy.