Predicting the Mavericks' floor and ceiling for 2023-24 season

Dallas Mavericks' Floor

Luckily for the Mavericks, Luka Doncic dons the Maverick blue. The Mavs will indubitably win 35-plus games no matter how the rest of the roster plays.

Unlike in previous seasons, Dallas has finally equipped Doncic with a co-star. After acquiring Kyrie Irving in a midseason trade, the Mavs re-signed Irving for an additional three seasons to compete for years to come.

A healthy Doncic and Irving ensure a solid floor. However, Irving is not the most reliable player, as he hasn't played in more than 70 games since the 2016-17 season. Thus, the Mavs' floor is a bit lower than one might expect.

The Mavs will go into the 2023-24 season with a full offseason of Doncic and Irving as teammates. Furthermore, Dallas will count on improvements from youngsters Josh Green and Jaden Hardy. And both Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper should improve throughout the season.

The aforementioned youngsters, Green and Hardy, will provide the Mavericks with two distinct talents. Green will pester opponents' best guards and wings with nonstop hustle and defense. As for Hardy, he'll supply the Mavs' offense with a surplus of scoring off the bench.

However, If Green doesn't take a step forward on offense, he may not be playable in crunch time or worthy of an extension before his rookie contract is over. And if Hardy doesn't improve his defense or provide anything else besides scoring on offense, his spot in the rotation will surely come and go.

Lively II and O-Max were brought in to compete and play respectable defense. But if their offense is too far behind, adequate players like Richaun Holmes and Derrick Jones Jr. may have to shoulder bigger minutes than expected.

The Mavericks have built a solid foundation. Doncic and Irving are the alphas. Tim Hardaway Jr., Seth Curry, and Hardy offer spacing. Grant Williams, Maxi Kleber, Green, and the rookies offer hard-nosed defense. Dwight Powell and Richaun Holmes complement the guards as satisfactory rollers.

If the youngsters don't show the requisite improvements, and the new additions don't find ways to coexist with the Mavs rotation players, and if the Doncic-Irving pairing doesn't live up to its potential, then the Mavs could finish with a record below .500.

Dallas Mavericks Floor: 40-42