4 Mavericks whose stocks are rising, 4 that are falling before Thunder series

On Friday night, the Dallas Mavericks closed out the LA Clippers in Game 6 to punch their ticket to the second round, and the vibes are immaculate for Mavs fans.

Everyone is excited to see them battle the Oklahoma City Thunder beginning today, and this will be a huge test for them. Dallas matches up well with the Thunder, and it'll be interesting to see which MVP candidate (Luka Doncic or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) outplays the other.

Doncic is still battling a knee injury and Maxi Kleber will be out for this whole series with a shoulder injury, and this series will test how the Mavs respond to this adversity.

4 Mavericks whose stocks are rising, 4 that are falling before Thunder series

Dallas handled the Clippers handily despite the score of the series, and several Mavs players took their play to the next level in this series while some players struggled.

Here are three Dallas Mavericks players whose stock rose in the first round and here are three players whose stocks are falling ahead of their series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

8. Rising: Josh Green

Before the start of the playoffs, Josh Green struggled at the end of the season after returning from his sprained ankle that kept him out for just under a month. Green averaged 3.7 points per game while shooting 21.1 percent from the field and 10 percent from downtown, and he was not able to impact the game as much as Mavs fans are used to seeing.

Green crushed this bad end of the regular season in the Dallas Mavericks' series against the LA Clippers, and he averaged 4.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 38.9 percent from the field.

These numbers aren't great, but they don't tell the whole story. Green is playing solid defense and his energy has been incredible. His numbers and playing time went up as the series went on, and he stepped up in Tim Hardaway Jr.'s absence.

The Mavs will need Green to continue bringing great energy and knock down timely shots, and it'll be interesting to see if he can build off the couple of good games he had at the end of the Clippers series.

7. Falling: Maxi Kleber

The Dallas Mavericks got unfortunate injury news this weekend when it was reported that Maxi Kleber would miss several weeks and could be out for the rest of the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

This injury news came at the worst possible time considering that Kleber was playing so well and was a huge X-factor in their first-round series against the LA Clippers. Kleber turned his struggles from the end of the season around and had an excellent first-round series, and him getting injured happened at the worst possible time.

The Mavs were finally starting to get healthy with Tim Hardaway Jr. practicing today, and now Dallas is having to battle serious adversity with Kleber not being able to play. He gives the Mavs so much versatility with his ability to play both the four and the five.

The Mavs could either go big and play him at the four or go small and play him at the five. Kleber's perimeter defense allows him to play either spot, and his size allows him to guard up and run the five.

He was having arguably the best stretch of the season during the first round and he seemingly couldn't miss from downtown. Kleber going 5-7 from downtown in Game 5 was huge in giving them momentum in the first half to ultimately go grab the win, and all of his threes were timely.

This is a huge blow for the Mavs, and only time will tell if someone can replicate his impact.

6. Rising: Derrick Jones Jr.

In the Dallas Mavericks' series against the LA Clippers, it was clear that their wing defenders were going to have to step up. Playing against Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Paul George is no easy task, and the Mavs handled LA handily as they won in six games.

One Maverick who was huge in the series against the Clippers was Derrick Jones Jr., and he was arguably the third-best player on the Mavs for the series. Jones Jr. averaged 8.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 38.5 percent from downtown in the Clippers series, and his defense was phenomenal.

He spent time guarding all of the Clippers' stars in this series, and he was locking down everyone who was in front of him. Jones Jr. was clearly the best defender for Dallas in this series, and he'll have another tough assignment in the series against the Oklahoma City Thunder as he'll have to guard Jalen Williams and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Jones Jr. enters every defensive matchup with confidence and intensity, and he takes pride in playing tough-nosed defense. There isn't a defensive assignment that Jones Jr. is afraid of, and he is showing the rest of the NBA that he is worth way more than a veteran's minimum contract.

Jones Jr. will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and he has been elite ever since Jason Kidd opted to insert him into the starting lineup over Josh Green.

5. Falling: Dante Exum

All season long, Dallas Mavericks guard Dante Exum was huge for the team and was a massive X-factor heading into the playoffs. Exum proved he can be elite as a starter, off the bench, and in the clutch for this team all season long, but his performance in the playoffs came crashing down.

In the first-round series against the LA Clippers, Exum averaged 1.5 points per game while shooting 22.2 percent from the field and 0 percent from downtown. All of the confidence that Exum built throughout the long regular season disappeared, and he nearly became unplayable in the Clippers series.

He began the playoffs by playing 16 minutes in Game 1, but he didn't play more than 12 minutes in any game after that. Exum played just 19 minutes in the final three games of the series combined, and he has to be better in their series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Exum's ability to guard multiple positions and knock down open shots made him a key piece of the rotation all season long, and his improvement as a 3-point shooter helped get him back into the NBA and into an everyday role player.

If the Mavs are going to continue to play Exum, he has to find a way to give them positive minutes.

4. Rising: Kyrie Irving

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving played unbelievably well during their series against the LA Clippers that ended last week, and his ability to take his game to the next level during the second halves of games makes him one of the best closers that the NBA has ever seen.

Irving averaged 26.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 44.9 percent from downtown. Irving finished with 30 points in the Game 6 win with 28 of those points being in the second half, and the Clippers had no answer for him.

Irving outplayed Luka Doncic in this series, and his calm demeanor even during the biggest games and moments continues to pay huge dividends for the Mavs.

Another huge development that helped Irving tremendously was his excellence on the defensive end while guarding James Harden. Irving and Harden's quiet rivalry grew even more during this series, and Irving was guarding him tight and giving him no airspace.

Harden ended up having some big games in this series, but him disappearing in Game 6 was a huge reason that the Clippers couldn't get within striking distance during the second half.

The Mavs will need Irving's dominance to continue into the second round, and he and Doncic have a big challenge ahead of them in the Oklahoma City Thunder.

3. Falling: Tim Hardaway Jr.

Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. is set to return to the lineup tonight against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but he missed nearly the entire series against the LA Clippers after spraining his ankle in Game 2.

Later in that series, Hardaway Jr. was set to return to the lineup, but he aggravated his ankle in practice at the worst possible time. Dallas was able to pull out the series win and Josh Green stepped up in a big way during Hardaway Jr.'s absence, but his stock definitely fell some after not playing in this series combined with the fact that he didn't do much in the playing time he did get.

Hardaway Jr. scored six points in 22 minutes over Games 1 and 2, and he shot 2-6 from the field. He obviously didn't get much run in Game 2 due to him getting injured, and it would be massive if he could have a big series against the Thunder.

The Mavs are going to need all the help they can get in this series due to Maxi Kleber going down with an injury, and Hardaway Jr. returning to being an elite shooter could be exactly what they need to take down Oklahoma City.

It's not like Hardaway Jr. will go back to being the Sixth Man of the Year candidate that he was during the first half of the season right away, but steps in the right direction would be big for Dallas.

2. Rising: Dereck Lively II

Towards the end of the regular season, Dereck Lively II sprained his knee in a game against the Houston Rockets on March 31. This injury was extremely untimely considering the Mavs were fighting for seeding in the Western Conference, but Lively II returned just in time for the 2024 NBA Playoffs and was able to play in Game 1 against the LA Clippers.

Against LA, Lively II averaged 8.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 0.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 75 percent from the field. Lively II battled through a bit of a rough start in Games 1 and 2 and was able to string together an extremely productive series.

Lively II scored in double digits in three of the final four games in this series, and his energy was excellent. Dallas' ability to get him back involved with the pick and roll helped unlock Lively II offensively, and there were points in the series where it was clear that he should be starting over Daniel Gafford.

Lively II stepping up and playing at an elite level during this difficult time in his life has been huge for this team, and all of his teammates and coaches have been raving about the young rookie's maturity at this moment.

Lively II has become a fan favorite in Dallas due to his thunderous slams, selfless personality, and great defense, and his stock rising right before the biggest games of his career is ideal for the Mavs.

1. Falling: Luka Doncic

Heading into the 2024 NBA Playoffs, Luka Doncic was playing at an elite level as he averaged 32 points, 10.8 rebounds, 10 assists, and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from downtown.

Doncic was on an absolute tear towards the end of the season, but his play during the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs was not great. He averaged 29.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 0.5 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 40.5 percent from the field and 23.9 percent from downtown.

Saying Doncic struggled while nearly averaging a triple-double may seem wrong, but he clearly wasn't himself. He was clearly hindered by his knee injury that still hasn't fully healed, and he was also battling an illness for the whole series.

The lift on his jumper clearly wasn't there like it was during the regular season and his struggles as a shooter were concerning at points during this series. Doncic dominated in other ways during the series and was getting to his spots inside the arc towards the end of the series, and the Mavs will ultimately go as far as he takes them.

If Doncic struggles against the Oklahoma City Thunder, they could be at risk of going home earlier than expected. If Doncic gets back to playing like the best player in the league, this could be a quick series in favor of the Mavs.

For all the latest on Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2024 NBA Playoffs, stay tuned.