3 returning Mavericks who have drastically improved this season

The Dallas Mavericks have been blessed by contributions from many who weren’t on the team last season, as the likes of Grant Williams, Dereck Lively II, and Derrick Jones Jr. have all added new elements that this Mavericks team didn’t have last season. 

The Mavericks have still improved from within as well though, and not just at the fringes with their G-League talent. When a team starts 10-5 after finishing six games under .500 and missing the playoffs last season, then everyone within the organization bears some sort of credit for the team’s success from top to bottom.

3 returning Mavericks who have drastically improved this season

The interesting part about Dallas’ success is that they still haven’t turned the page much on the defensive issues that plagued them last year. With that taken into account, the Mavericks have gotten to another level of offensive consistency this year to the point that their defensive lapses haven’t been hurting them as much. Dallas has looked far more comfortable on offense across the board, and it’s coming most from some players who were already on the team last season.

That being said, here are three returning Mavericks who have taken their game to the next level.

3. Luka Doncic

As obscene as it sounds, Luka Doncic has taken even another step from last year. The 24-year-old Slovenian superstar is shooting 40.8 percent from three-point land and is doing so on a career-high 9.8 attempts per game.

We are only 15 games into the season so we’ll see how long Doncic is able to persist with this level of consistency from downtown, especially given the degree of difficulty that most of his 3-pointers are. Regardless though, Doncic has continually improved within the margins every year in Dallas and has done so again this year by improving on many facets of the game that don’t necessarily show up in the box score.

Doncic has played better defense this year per the eye test, as he’s making fewer mistakes that are conducive to a lack of effort. Doncic has a good frame to play defense at 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds even if he doesn’t have the longest wingspan, and he’s doing a much better job of using his stout frame against smaller and quicker guards this season.

Doncic may inevitably have his scoring average go down a little with Kyrie Irving splitting more offensive possessions with him, but that wouldn’t matter in terms of the MVP discussion if the Mavericks were sitting atop of the Western Conference standings at the end of the season.

Defenses are clamping down on Doncic more than ever before, as he’s facing traps at the point of attack for what seems like every possession. Doncic is doing a great job finding the right man in these situations, even if it doesn’t lead to a direct assist for him.

Doncic’s counting stats may not differ from last year whatsoever barring his 3-point percentage, but the changes he made to his off-season workout routine have been paying huge dividends this season in Dallas as he’s in much improved physical shape and is taking steps to become a vocal leader in the locker room as well.

2. Kyrie Irving

Having only played 20 games with the Mavericks after he was dealt from the Brooklyn Nets last season at the trade deadline, Kyrie Irving has looked much more comfortable in this initial juncture of the season with the Mavericks.

Irving has talked a lot about how much a full training camp and preseason would be beneficial toward him getting acclimated in Dallas, and he’s proving that this season despite a rough shooting start to the season. In the same vein as Luka Doncic, Irving’s strides have been made within the margins rather than anything we can tangibly see on a box score.

Irving’s biggest improvement this year is how he and Doncic have been playing far more fluidly through each other. Irving’s shots have already started to come around, so don’t be surprised if a hot stretch thrusts him to a far greater scoring average than the 24.3 points per game, he’s currently averaging.

Irving has also stepped up as a leader in Dallas, and multiple young players within the Mavericks organization have accredited him for leading by example this season. A big point of contention between many national media members was the Mavericks' clutch time woes last season, as Irving and Doncic struggled to win in close contests late in the game in their introductory season with each other last year.

Dallas has completely flipped the script this year, and it can be attributed to how savvy Irving and Doncic have been at playing off of each other late in the game. This was capitalized the other night in the Mavericks' victory over the Los Angeles Lakers when Irving hit the game-winning 3-pointer off an assist from Doncic late in the game.

The Mavericks have still been winning games as they stand at 10-5 now, so as long as Irving’s shooting continues to come around then he’s definitely proving that he is a much more dynamic second star next to Doncic than last season. 

1. Tim Hardaway Jr.

Coming off of a rougher campaign in the 2022-23 season after returning from foot surgery in 2022, Tim Hardaway Jr. is playing as good of basketball as he’s ever played so far for Dallas this year. Hardaway Jr. has been a hallmark of consistency for Dallas this season, as he’s trended away from occasional horrendous shooting nights by being much more proficient with his shot diet.

Hardaway Jr. is averaging the most field goal attempts per game (13.7 currently) since his 2018-19 stretch with Dallas which only spanned 19 games. Hardaway Jr. is getting to the rim a lot more and is also doing a great job working the in-between game as the lead ball handler in the pick-and-roll.

He’s currently shooting 39.6% from 3-point range, and that’s after a down night against the Los Angeles Lakers, where he went 2-10 from the field. Hardaway Jr. is playing better defense as well, even though he still isn’t a high-profile defender, as he’s doing a great job at taking charges and making the right rotations within the Mavericks’ defensive scheme.

Hardaway Jr. has come off the bench for Dallas this year and is actually averaging fewer minutes per game, yet he is scoring more points per last game than last year at 17.5 points per game this season.

If Hardaway Jr. keeps up this level of efficiency and continues to be more multifaceted on offense compared to the extreme reliance he’s had on 3-pointers during stretches in the past with Dallas, then he’ll be poised to be in the conversation to win the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award. That being said, it’s abundantly clear that Hardaway Jr. is one of Dallas’ most improved players from last season, and shouldn't be on the hot seat to be traded just quite yet.

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