6 Dallas Mavericks who have failed to meet expectations this season

With under two weeks remaining in the regular season, every game matters when it comes to playoff positioning.

The Dallas Mavericks are 45-30 on the year and are currently the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference, and the team is coming together at the perfect time.

Luka Doncic is going on an absolute tear right now, and he is looking more like the 2024 MVP every day. He and Kyrie Irving have been one of the best duos in the NBA, but there have also been a couple of players on the squad who haven't been playing the best.

6 Dallas Mavericks who have failed to meet expectations this season

There are always going to be under-performers and over-performers in sports, and the Mavs have had plenty of both of these types of players. It's natural to have players who play better or worse than expected, and the Mavs have turned into true contenders even with some under-performers mixed in the rotation.

Dallas is in prime position to make a deep playoff run, but there are are a handful of players who need to step up for this team before it's too late.

Here are five Dallas Mavericks who have failed to meet expectations in the 2023-24 season.

6. Olivier-Maxence Prosper

When the Dallas Mavericks drafted Olivier-Maxence Prosper with the No. 24 overall pick, fans couldn't wait to see how he impacted this team. Prosper had as much hype surrounding him as Dereck Lively II, but this hype quickly simmered down once the season began.

After being expected to have a role in the rotation according to some reports, it quickly became clear that Prosper wasn't ready to play consistent minutes in the NBA. This season for the Mavs, Prosper is averaging 2.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game while shooting 34..7 percent from the field and 23.5 percent from downtown.

Prosper typically looked uncomfortable when the ball was in his hands on offense, and despite his great defense and hustle, he looked unplayable. This caused Prosper to spend plenty of time in the G League, and his improvements there have been massive.

This season for the Texas Legends, Prosper averaged 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 51 percent from the field and 42.2 percent from downtown. His jumper improved tremendously as the year went on, and signs are pointing to him being a good 3-and-D option on the wing one day.

Prosper still has plenty of time to continue to develop, but he definitely didn't reach the expectations that most everyone had for him before the season.