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.

5. Josh Green

Just a few days before the Dallas Mavericks' season began, they extended Josh Green's contract. Green was set to become a restricted free agent after this season, but Nico Harrison and company decided to give him a three-year, $41 million extension.

This seemed like a great decision at the time and still does, but Green has not taken the fourth-year jump that many people expected him to make. This season for the Mavs, Green is averaging 8.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 0.8 steals per game while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 40.1 percent from downtown.

Green has had a very similar year to last season and was recently sent to the bench in favor of Derrick Jones Jr. Green's shooting, especially from the corners, has been excellent, but his defense hasn't been great this season.

While Green has the energy and athleticism to effectively full-court press, his defense in the half-court has not been great. Green struggles to battle through screens and looks lost sometimes. He has all the tools to be an elite defender in the NBA, it just hasn't happened yet.

Green still has plenty of time to continue to improve and it looks like he'll be a valuable role player for the Mavs for years to come, but he has not been as good this season as originally expected.

4. Jaden Hardy

Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy entered the 2023-24 season after having a phenomenal rookie year last season as he averaged 8.8 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from downtown.

Hardy was a key piece for the Mavs as a rookie, and his ability to score in bunches off the bench while knocking down open 3-pointers was outstanding. He ended the season as one of the hottest and most consistent shooters on the team, but his play has taken a dip this season.

This season, Hardy is averaging 7.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.3 steals per game while shooting 40.9 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from downtown. Although he has shown some promising stretches this season and proved he deserves minutes, he hasn't taken the second-year jump that the Mavs have needed from him.

It also doesn't help that Hardy's minutes have been extremely inconsistent and head coach Jason Kidd has even alluded to him not being in the rotation, but his play lately has not been great. Sometimes he gets fixated on trying to do too much rather than just play within the flow of the offense, and that is when he is at his worst, especially if he's missing his shots.

One positive from this season from Hardy has been his growth as a playmaker, as he has shown flashes of great decision-making and precise passes.

Hardy has not had a horrible season and he certainly deserves more playing time, but his improvements were marginal from last season.

3. Tim Hardaway Jr.

Heading into the 2023-24 season, Dallas Mavericks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. was coming off a fantastic year in which he shot 38.5 percent from downtown and started in 45 games. This was one of the best shooting seasons of his career, but he still ended up being on the trade market last summer.

Hardaway Jr.'s inconsistency, often tunnel vision, and lack of defense caused many fans to sour on him, but he started off this season with a bang. He had multiple 30-point games and one 40-point game, but he has been in a slump over the last couple of months. He was only playing 19.9 minutes per game in March, and although he has had some good games, he has been nowhere near as effective as he was during the first half of the season.

Hardaway Jr. was formerly in the thick of the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year race, but now he has been inconsistent in a much smaller role. Jason Kidd has stuck with Hardaway Jr., even through his struggles, and the Mavs need him to get hot before the playoffs to maximize the team's potential.

Hardaway Jr. didn't have super high expectations before the season, but no one expected him to go through the worst slump of his Mavericks career when they needed him most.

2. Dwight Powell

Heading into this season, Dallas Mavericks fans were arguing about who should start at center between Dereck Lively II, Dwight Powell, and Richaun Holmes. Powell was Dallas' longtime center, Holmes was Dallas' new big man that they traded for that Mark Cuban hyped up, and Lively II was the rookie fan-favorite 7-footer.

No one knew who would start on opening night, but it ended up being Maxi Kleber. Lively II quickly took the starting spot with Powell as the second-string big. This season for Dallas, Powell is averaging 3.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 0.4 steals per game while playing 13.1 minutes per game.

This is the least he has played since his rookie year, and Powell's on-court production has steadily declined. Even though Dallas now has Daniel Gafford, making Lively II the backup center and Powell the third center, Powell still needs to be somewhat productive when they need him.

Lively II has had several injuries this season, and since Lively II is out right now, Powell will have to play some until he returns. Last night against the Golden State Warriors, Powell had zero points and three rebounds in nine minutes of action.

No one expected Powell to tremendously improve this season, but no one expected him to be nearly unplayable either. If Lively II is out until the playoffs Powell will need to make a little bit more of an impact.

1. Maxi Kleber

Dallas Mavericks forward Maxi Kleber has had an up-and-down last couple of years, and it all started in the 2022 NBA Playoffs. Kleber had a concerning slump to end the regular season, but he turned it around in the playoffs as he averaged 8.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 50.9 percent from the field and 43.6 percent from downtown. He played tremendously in these playoffs and the Mavs decided to give him a three-year contract extension worth $33 million.

Kleber had earned this contract, but a torn hamstring last season and a dislocated toe this season have led to his play declining rapidly. He is having arguably the worst season of his career right now, as he is averaging 4.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 0.6 blocks per game.

Kleber was expected to have a big year after fully recovering from his torn hamstring over the offseason, but his $11 million annually is starting to look like an overpay at this point.

Kleber remains a solid role player for this team and he will likely play heavy minutes in the playoffs, but his inconsistency on offense remains a concern. He has lacked confidence as a shooter lately, and he is at his best when he shoots with no hesitation.

Kleber will likely see more run than usual soon, as Dereck Lively II could miss two weeks with a knee injury, so the Mavs will need him at his best.

For all the latest on Maxi Kleber, Dereck Lively II, and the Dallas Mavericks this season, stay tuned.